Pistachio harvest from Sistan-Baluchestan orchards has started and will continue until October, said the director of horticulture affairs of the province’s Agricultural Jihad Organization. “More than 6,000 tons of pistachios will be harvested from the province’s 7,000 hectares of orchards by the end the harvest season,” IRNA quoted Ardashir Shahraki as saying, adding that some 500 job opportunities have been created already. Kerman, Sistan-Baluchestan, Yazd, Khorasan, Fars, Semnan, Qazvin, Isfahan and Qom are the main pistachio-producing provinces in Iran. Iran is the world’s largest pistachio producer with more than 200,000 tons produced and 180,000 tons worth more than $1.6 billion exported every year, according to IANA News Agency. China is the biggest customer accounting for 50% of Iran’s exports. Neighboring countries and the European Union are other major export destinations.
