MNA � This year Iran will produce 310,000 tons of pistachio and reclaim its title as the top producer of pistachio in the world by surpassing the US, an official at Ministry of Agriculture predicts.


While estimating the production of pistachio to reach up to 310,000 tons in 2017, head of the office of cold-weathered and dry fruits at the Ministry of Agriculture, Shokrollah Hajivand, said �304,000 tons of pistachio were�produced in 2016, and this year we expect to see a two percent rise in the production.�

Based on the estimations, the US pistachio production in 2017 will be 270,000 tons, so with 310,000 tons, Iran will surpass its rival in this domain and reclaim its title as the number one producer of the crop in the world.

Hajivandi also talked about the crop�s exports and said �the quantity of exports in the four months leading to July 2017 has been 16,660 tons; since the harvest has just begun, we predict a growth in exports within the next few months.�

When asked to compare this year�s exports with previous year, he said �in 2016, pistachio exports amounted to 138,000 tons and valued at 1,271 million dollars; within the first four months of this year, the exports have dropped by 40 percent which is due to a reduction in crop supplies, however considering the rise in pistachio yield and supplies in the market, we will soon see an increase in exports�