Pistachio Exports Account for 50% of Virtual Water Trade

Pistachio exports account for 50% of water exported from Iran virtually, a member of Iran Water Industry Federation, a privately-owned organization, said.
“Annually, close to 20 billion cubic meters of water are exported from Iran virtually, half of which is for selling pistachio in international markets,” Ebrahim Raisi was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
Annual pistachio production in the country is about 250,000 tons, of which 50% are exported to 70 countries, he added, noting that the production of each kilo of the water-intensive crop requires at least 80 cubic meters of water.
Raisi said self-sufficiency in food production is definitely of great importance, but over-extraction from depleting groundwater resources has already taken a heavy toll on plains and most of them are losing the battle against land subsidence.”