A total of 14,841 tons of pistachio worth $108 million were exported from Iran during the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Aug. 22), to register a 75% decline in terms of weight compared with the similar period of last year, data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration show.
Last year during the same period, close to 60,000 tons were exported. Iran’s pistachio exports have declined since the fiscal 2007-08 when exports of the products reached 265,000 tons.
In the fiscal 2021-22, the figure stood at 135,000 tons. In a report published recently, Shargh newspaper explored how water shortage and drought have led to a drastic fall in yields in Kerman Province, Iran’s main pistachio production hub.
Many local farmers say their orchards have dried up due to the acute water crisis and many others have left the province to rebuild orchards in other places like Saveh, Qazvin and South Khorasan.
Orchard owners in Kerman say they have dug wells as deep as 150 meters but have still not reached water. The report added that the situation has been so bad for years that this year, farmers cannot afford to carry out the usual planting procedures.
Kerman accounts for around 70% of Iran’s pistachio output. Yields in Rafsanjan County, which is the main producer of the nut in both weight and quality, have fallen by 50% this year.
Farhad Agah, a member of the board at Iran Pistachio Association, says apart from drought, high temperatures as well as early frosts in the spring cause damage to pistachio orchards and harvest in Kerman.
“Estimates are that this year’s production will be lower than last year’s. Drought is causing damage to Kerman’s pistachio orchards. In the past, the best pistachio in the world was known to come from Iran and our exports brought in revenues as high as $1.5 billion. But now, all of this is at stake,” he added.
On average, Iran exports 80% of its total pistachio yields to some 85 countries. Vietnam, Hong Kong, Germany, the UAE, India, Iraq, Russia and Turkey are Iran’s pistachio export markets.
Deputy Agriculture Minister Mohammad Mehdi Boroumandi says due to the water crisis, pistachio orchards will no longer be expanded in Kerman Province.
“These orchards will be rejuvenated but no longer expanded. We are also after replacing pistachio trees with other crops that need less water to grow,” he added.
Over the past few years, the soil of many regions in Iran have been tested to see if they are fit for pistachio cultivation. Presently, pistachio is cultivated in Khorasan Razavi, Yazd, South and North Khorasan, Tehran, East and West Azarbaijan, Lorestan, Fars, Semnan, Markazi, Qom, Sistan-Baluchestan, Isfahan, Qazvin, Alborz and Ardabil provinces.
Water Use Beyond Global Redline
Mohammad Reza Bakhtiari, the former head of Kerman Regional Water Authority, affiliated with the Ministry of Energy, had earlier said groundwater withdrawal in Kerman is almost three times as much as the global redline, and nearly six times the ideal average.
“At present, even providing the residents of Kerman with potable water is posing a challenge,” he said.
The official added that illegal and unrestrained digging and withdrawals from wells in the province have increased over the past few decades.
These have led to the depletion of groundwater resources, degradation of water quality and an increase in water salinity.
“Although the disastrous situation arising from the drying up of pistachio orchards is evident, water management in Kerman has yet to be revamped,” he said.
Bakhtiari said every year, pistachio trees in 12,000 to 15,000 hectares of orchards are destroyed in Kerman due to water shortage.
Iran and the US are the world’s biggest producers of pistachio. The US output has overtaken Iran’s in recent years though the quality of the Iranian crop is widely said to be superior to that of the US.
In addition, Iran has more diverse varieties in pistachio than the US.
Iranian pistachios have a world-famous flavor that is unrivaled. This taste advantage is improved by roasting Iranian pistachios at higher temperatures, made by higher unsaturated oil content. This high-temperature roasting reduces any bacterial pollution, which may be existing in raw product.
According to Ratinkhosh R&D Team, Iranian pistachios have higher capability for roasting. Due to their higher unsaturated oil content, they can be roasted at 160 to 180°C (hot stream temperature). Excellent roasting with higher temperature brings out the unique flavor of the pistachio.
