Iran continues to dominate the global pistachio export market, with a 50% share in exporting the popular nut, said the Iranian Pistachio Association (IPA), attributing the figure to the high ratio of nut to the shell weight.
Annually, the country exports between 100,000 and 150,000 metric tons of pistachios, 60% of which is grown in Kerman province in the southeast of the country, Mehdi Agah, an IPA member, told ISNA.
Global data shows that Iran and the United States are the main sources of pistachio production in the world, followed by Turkey as the 3rd global producer.
Kerman province is the main center of pistachio production in Iran, while all of the commercially produced pistachios in the US are grown in the state of California.
Pistachio production in Iran has decreased to A large extent in recent years as severe droughts hit the country, experts say, while also blaming low-quality pesticides for the decline.
The US plans to increase its production twofold in the near future. This drive by foreign growers highlights the necessity for Iran to apply higher standards in packaging pistachios and to make more investment in the industry and marketing the product.
Japan is the biggest consumer of Iranian raw pistachios at present. United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Turkey, India, and Germany are also big importers of the Iranian produced nut.
