Iran’s eight-month pistachio exports hit 110,000 tons

Rouhollah Latifi put the value of the pistachio exports in the said period at $676 million, 82.5 percent more than the figure for the previous year’s similar period, ISNA reported.

According to the IRICA data, 47,000 tons of pistachios worth $371 million were exported from Iran in the first eight months of the previous Iranian year (March 21-November 21, 2019).

The global pistachio market is dominated by Iran and the US, two countries in stiff competition to gain a bigger share of the market, said the head of Iran Pistachio Association in December, 2019.

Mahmoud Abtahi told Iran Daily that Italy, Greece, Afghanistan, Syria and Turkey are also among the main players in the world pistachio market.

Abtahi noted that Iran exports about 80 percent of its pistachio harvest, adding that the price of the product in the local market is determined by its global price as well as its supply and demand.

The official referred to the 100-year history of Iran’s pistachio exports, and said, “We export pistachios to almost all countries, both directly and indirectly.”

Abtahi said that dried fruits are among the country’s most important non-oil exports, of which the share of pistachios is 70 percent.

The official cited Kerman, Khorasan Razavi and Yazd as the provinces with the highest number of pistachio orchards in the country.