TEHRAN (ISNA)- Iran's pistachio exports in the first 11 months of Iranian calendar year, started on March 21, totaled 618 million dollars.
The volume of pistachio exports totaled 76,000 tons. Pistachio has been Iran's 9th largest exports which came at the top of agricultural and food stuff exports.

Pistachio was 0.11 and 2.22 of Iranian non-oil exports respectively in terms of weight and price.

Iran's pistachio has been exported to 63 global markets so far. The largest markets were Hong Kong with 147 million dollars, the UAE with 85 million dollars, Kazakhstan with 75 million dollars, Germany with 41 million dollars, Iraq with 41 million dollars, Turkey with 39 million dollars, Vietnam with 33 million dollars, Russia with 21.5 million dollars, Pakistan with 19 million dollars and Afghanistan with 13 million dollars.

Pistachio is as one of Iran's largest export items next to oil and gas.

The US has been Iran's key rival in producing pistachios in recent years, but the Iranian pistachio, which enjoys high health standards and good quality, has beaten the American rival even in the US market for years.

Iran's pistachio harvest totaled 200 tons in 1964, but the figure increased to 16,800 tons in 2012.

There are only few countries in the world producing pistachio. Turkey and Syria are the only Middle Eastern countries whose output is equal to that of Iran, but of lower quality.

By ISNA

 

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