Tehran, Iran, July 20
By A. Shirazi - Trend:
Mohsen Jalalpour, the head of Iran Pistachio Association, said statistics show the country’s pistachio production has registered an 80 percent fall in the current Iranian fiscal year (started March 21).
“Based on the latest statistics, Iran’s pistachio production has decreased by 80 percent this year due to drought and climate changes,” Jalalpour wrote on social media, according to Tasnim on July 20.
Iran and the US account for 85 percent of world production of pistachios (dry in-shell basis), according to Iran Pistachio Association.
As the biggest pistachio producers in the world, the two countries have always had close rivalry throughout the years in production and exports.
Jalalpour also pointed to US-China trade war and said this could be a major setback for American pistachio growers.
Close to 80 fruit and nut products from the United States are at risk, after China levied additional duties on up to $3 billion of US imports in retaliation against US President Donald Trump’s plans to slap tariffs on up to $60 billion in Chinese goods.
US exports of fruits, frozen juices and nuts to China amounted to $669 million last year, and it was the top supplier of apples, cherries, walnuts and almonds, with much of the produce coming from growers in California, Florida and Michigan.