The director general of the Ministry of Agriculture for Dried Fruits Affairs pointed to the situation of pistachio production in the country and said pistachio is one of the most important agricultural and horticultural products in Iran.
Dariush Salempour said the country is the second-largest producer of this strategic product in the world.
He noted that several effective programs have been implemented by the ministry to improve the production and export of pistachio, such as launching the joint Pistachio Technical Cooperation (TCP) project with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), IRNA reported.
There are also pilot measures being implemented in the three provinces of Kerman, Khorasan Razavi and Yazd to increase the productivity in pistachio orchards, he said.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Salempour pointed to the pistachio export and said more than 80,000 tons of pistachios, valued at $552 million, were exported from the country in the 11 months of the previous Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2023, to February 22, 2024), showing a 56 and a 50 percent hike in weight and value respectively compared to the same period a year earlier.