History of pistachios

History of pistachio: Pistachio is a small tree that originates from the Middle East and Central Asia and grows in countries such as Iran, Syria, Turkmenistan and western Afghanistan. This tree produces a fruit that is edible and very delicious. Pistachio is a Persian word that entered European languages ​​through Latin.

The production of pistachios in Iran in 2017 was 574,987 tons, which placed this country in first place in the world. After Iran, the United States came in second place with the production of 272,291 tons and China with the production of 95,294 tons. They have been in the third place.

The world export value of pistachios was 1.81 billion dollars, of which the share of the United States was 842.75 million dollars, the share of Hong Kong was 359.66 million dollars, and the share of Iran was 199.36 million dollars (11%).

Iran and the United States of America are the two main countries in the field of pistachio production and export in the world. So that about seventy to eighty percent of the annual production of pistachio was available to these two countries.

In 1929, American botanist William E. Whitehouse traveled to Iran to collect pistachio seeds. After three years, he returned to America with an almost 10 kg bag of carefully selected seeds. Since the pistachio tree takes 7-10 years to fully grow, Whitehouse realized the results of his research several years later. Of all the seeds that Whitehouse had chosen, only one could be used in California soil, which he called "Kerman". Later, scientists strengthened this Kerman pistachio by grafting it to stronger bases.

The results of a research published in 2020 show that almost half of the pistachios distributed in the world in 2019 were supplied by the United States of America, which was the reason for the drop in pistachio production in Iran by 7%. The reasons for this decrease in production have been the trade sanctions of the United States of America against Iran, climate changes, and weakness in economic and irrigation management.

The companies that are currently active in this field will be a serious competitor for Iranian pistachio companies in the future. Israel has the highest per capita consumption of pistachios.

Pistachio production in the world

Between 2009 and 2014, Iran, the United States of America, Turkey, Syria and the European Union were the five main producers of pistachios in the world.

Pistachio exports in the world

In 2014, Iran became the largest exporter of this product in the world by exporting more than 191,000 tons of pistachios. The United States of America was also recognized as the second exporter of pistachios in the world in 2014 by exporting about 138,000 tons of pistachios. Türkiye was the third exporter of pistachios in the world. In 2014, Turkey was able to export about 3 thousand tons of pistachios and ranked third in the world in terms of pistachio exports.

Iran's pistachio export in 2009 was equivalent to 150 thousand tons. One of Iran's advantages in pistachio export is its geographical location. With the easy possibility of transportation, Iran can easily take over the market from countries like China.

In order to prevent the entry of Iranian pistachios into its markets, America has imposed a 241% tariff on Iranian pistachios.

Pistachio in Iran:

The amount of pistachio production in Iran is about 575 thousand tons annually, and only 10% of this product is consumed domestically and the other 90% is exported. The annual consumption of pistachios for each Iranian family is about 2 kilograms. The production and export of Iranian pistachios generates an annual income of about 1.4 to 1.7 billion dollars for Iran. Marand city; Damghan city, Rafsanjan city, Zarand city, Keshkoviyeh city, Sirjan city, Buin Zahra city, Anar and Niriz are the main centers of pistachio production in Iran, and 80% of pistachios produced in Iran are obtained from these areas.

Although Iranian and American pistachios are of the same breed, Iranian pistachios have a better taste. Something that many major European distributors also confirm. (Seeds and seedlings of the first pistachios planted in America were Iranian pistachios, whose taste has changed due to the change of soil and climate) For example, Turkish pistachios are of a different breed.