A total of €78.6 million worth of pistachio were exported from Iran to the European Union member states during the first half of 2022.
Data released by Eurostat's database show the volume of exports registered a 26% decline compared with the similar period of last year.
The export of in-shell pistachio stood at €31.6 million during the period, registering a 53% year-on-year decline, while that of shelled pistachio stood at €47 million to register a 23% YOY rise, IRNA reported.
Germany and Italy were the main destinations of Iranian pistachio among EU members.
Iran exported a total of €50 million of the nut to Germany and €14 million to Italy in H1 2022.
After the US, Iran was the second largest exporter of pistachios to the EU region in the first half of the year.
The US pistachio exports to EU members hit €276 million in H1, registering a 4% year-on-year decline. Exports of shelled pistachio from the US to EU stood at €34 million during the period.
Iran and the US are the world’s biggest pistachio producers. The US output has overtaken Iran’s in recent years although the quality of the Iranian delicacy is widely said to be superior of pistachio than the US.
Iranian pistachios have a world-famous flavor that is unrivaled. This because of its higher unsaturated oil content. This high-temperature roasting reduces any bacterial pollution that could exist in the raw product.
According to Ratinkhosh R&D Team, Iranian pistachios have more capability for roasting. Due to their higher unsaturated oil content, they can be roasted at 160-180°C (hot stream temperature). Excellent roasting with higher temperature brings out the unique flavor of the pistachio.
Fiscal 2021-22 Exports Top $690m: IRICA
A total of 115,557 tons worth $696 million of pistachio were exported from Iran to 75 countries in the fiscal 2021-22 (ended March 20), registering a 33% decline in both weight and value compared to the year before, according to the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration.
Top five export destinations for in-shell pistachio were China with $199 million, India with $85 million, Russia with $53 million, Iraq with $50 million and Kyrgyzstan with $45 million.
Exports of shelled pistachios stood at 19,336 tons worth $215.88, with Germany topping importers with $50 million, followed by India $44 million, the UAE $29 million, Iraq $25 million and Turkey $13 million, IRNA reported.
A total of 429 tons of other types of pistachio (slivered) worth $2.51 million were exported during the period, he added.
Spring Frost
Kerman Province is a major pistachio production hub of Iran.
Cold weather in spring caused 130 trillion rials ($430 million) in damage to pistachio orchards in Kerman Province, said the chairman of Kerman Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture.
“This is only our preliminary estimate on direct damage to orchards. If we take the entire pistachio production chain into account, the losses will have to be multiplied,” Mehdi Tabibzadeh was also quoted as saying by the news portal of Iran Chamber of Commerce (Otaghiranonline.ir).
Mohammad Reza Mousavi Torabi, the head of the Agriculture Commission of Kerman Chamber of Commerce, says around 180,000 hectares of pistachio orchards were hit by the cold after the start of the current Iranian year (March 21), with three-fifth of them experiencing more than 50% damage.
As such, he added, this year’s production of the nut is expected to decline by 65,000 tons at least, and the quality of the remaining yield will certainly drop.
Kerman’s Governor-General Ali Zeynivand said preliminary estimates say that the pistachio industry has suffered 200 trillion rials ($660 million) in losses, adding that the figure equals 8% of the province’s annual GDP.
Kerman, located in southeast Iran, has around 212,000 hectares of pistachio orchards.
Drought
The Agriculture Ministry has referred to the impact of low precipitation levels and water shortage on decline in pistachio production.
In the short run, water scarcity is expected to reduce production in Iran’s central and eastern provinces but since the plant is resistant to soil salinity and needs little irrigation, predictions are that production will bounce back very soon.
What’s more, during the past years, new orchards have been planted in western and northwestern provinces, which are now bearing fruit. This means production and exports are to rise over the course of a few years.
In a report, Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture has warned agricultural officials of an imminent drought that would cripple the country’s agricultural activities and hamper economic growth in this sector in the current Iranian year (March 2022-23).
The ICCIMA report says precipitation levels have fallen drastically, Mehr News Agency reported.
The Majlis Research Center has released a list of Iranian provinces in a critical state of water shortage: Isfahan, Hormozgan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Ardabil, Fars, Markazi and Khorasan Razavi.
Drought has inflicted 670 trillion rials ($2.2 billion) in losses on Iran’s agriculture sector since the beginning of last crop year, Mohammad Mousavi, director general of the Agriculture Ministry’s Crisis Management Department, said in June 2021.
