Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct.8/ Trend G.Mehdi/
Iran is expected to earn $1.1 billion in pistachio exports this calendar year which ends March 20, 2013, the head of the association of Iranian pistachio farmers Mohsen Jalalipour said, IRNA reported.
Jalalipour said that 200,000 tons of pistachio is anticipated to be harvested in the current year of which 120,000 tons will be exported.
Last year's output amounted to 160,000 tons, he said, adding that 15 per cent of the output is supplied to the domestic market.
Last year, 100,000 tons of pistachio was exported, he noted.
He told the ISNA News Agency that by 2011, Iran was the major pistachio producer with some 200,000 tons of annual output, but the U.S. took the lead from Iran by producing 210,000 tons.