Top pistachio producing countries

What Are The Top Pistachio Producing Countries in 2022?

In the last decade, the pistachio industry has turned into one of the most competitive industries that have brought many profits to the top pistachio producing countries. Also, with the increase in pistachio consumption rate during the Covid-19 pandemic, this booming industry could have attracted many farmers’ and exporters’ attention globally.

The pistachio tree is one of the oldest nut trees which is originated from the Middle East, especially in Iran. Over the years this nut spread throughout the Mediterranean and different parts of Europe such as Greece, Italy, Spain, etc. but in the United States, the development of pistachio began in California in 1900’s.  Today, California has the largest market share in the pistachio industry worldwide. The pistachio industry has had such an enormous growth throughout the previous years that in addition to its domestic demand, it can also export the majority of its pistachio products to other countries around the world.

The three top pistachio exporting countries and pistachio producing countries are the United States, Iran, and Turkey, respectively. The figures below show you the largest pistachio producer and exporter countries in 2021-2022.

Source: https://www.statista.com/statistics/933015/pistachio-exports-global-by-country/

Pistachio Production in US vs. Iran; Has Iran Failed?

US: Pistachio cultivation in the US has started only about a century, but it could grow very fast that now the United States has overtaken other countries in terms of pistachio production. In the year 2021/2022 the production rate of the US (520,000 T) was about four times more than Iran’s rate (135,000 T).

IRAN: As mentioned before, pistachio nut is native to Iran and the pistachio industry dates back thousands of years in this country. Iran has the most favorable climate for cultivating pistachio trees. Among the provinces of Iran, around 52% of the bearable pistachio orchards (About 175,000 hectares) are located in Kerman which has hot, dry summers, and cool winters.

Generally, there were only five main pistachio producing provinces in Iran including Kerman, Khorasan, Yazd, and Semnan. Although the production rate of these provinces has decreased in the last decade, the pistachio production volume in Iran is not going to drop. To tackle this problem, farmers in other provinces of Iran with the more average of precipitation and better climate conditions started to grow pistachio trees. This could rise and then stabilize the pistachio production rate (about 200,000 MT) in the next 5 years in Iran.

Consequently, to answer the question: Has Iran failed in the pistachio industry we can say, although Iranian farmers have faced many barriers during the production process, it seems that they could find the solution to handle them.

How Has U.S Turned into a Prosperous Pistachio Producer in the World?

But what are the reasons behind the prosperity of the US in pistachio production? What has made the US the largest producer of pistachio within a decade?

California State comprises 99% of the pistachio production share in the United States. This is because California has a hot and dry climate, chilled winters, and very fertile lands for growing pistachio trees. Another asset is that American farmers use modern facilities and technologies during the pistachio production procedure, and more importantly, have access to sufficient water sources for irrigation.

On the other hand, this delicious nut, due to its countless health benefits could draw a lot of attention to itself, so pistachio consumption has increased. Over time, more and more farmers tended to cultivate this valuable nut, and more pistachio orchards were established that now the United States is able to provide pistachio for its domestic demand and export the majority of its products to other countries all around the world as well. It is forecasted that this increase will continue.

Pistachio Production Future Perspective: Will the Rankings Change?

As we said before, now there are three major pistachio producing and exporting countries, including the United States, Iran, and Turkey. Let’s check their rankings and see whether they are going to change or not?

Among these three countries, the United States has by far the largest pistachio production share. The second rank belongs to Iran, Followed by Turkey with the third rank. The production shares of dried in-shell pistachios for these three countries are 70%, 18%, and 8% respectively.

Now let’s investigate the future perspective of these countries separately:

US: according to INC news now California has faced some water issues, but farmers have found solutions to handle this problem. They are improving the water penetration and increasing the use of compost which will reduce the water need. Also, with horticultural advancements, they could improve the quality of their crops.

New pistachio orchards are being established every year in the US (about a 5-7% increase per year). It is forecasted that this growth will continue due to the rise of pistachio consumption during the Corona pandemic. In addition, because of the proper cultivating conditions and available fertile lands for growing pistachio trees, it is anticipated that the US will remain the largest pistachio producer in the world.

IRAN: Although the pistachio production rate in Iran has had fluctuations in the last decade, it is forecasted that it will be stabilized on 200,000TM (up to 25% in the upcoming years), and maintain its rank as the second largest pistachio producing country.

As you can see, there were only five main pistachio production provinces in Iran. Although the production rate of these provinces has decreased in the last decade, they are still capable of producing the majority amount of pistachio nut annually.

The good news is that many pistachio orchards have been established recently in other cities (you can see in the figure below). As these orchards are new, they are more systematic. Pistachio trees have been cultivated more expertly, and according to up-to-date methods. . This cultivation method has led to higher production volume with much more uniform crop in Iran.

Source: Iranian Pistachio Association

TURKEY: now, Turkey has 218,000 hectares pistachio bearing orchards which is much lower than bearing orchards in Iran and US. But, in the last ten years, new pistachio orchards have been established (approximately 153,000 hectares). So, it is obvious that the pistachio production rate of turkey will increase in the future.

Source:

https://www.statista.com/topics/5158/pistachio-market/#dossierContents__outerWrapper

https://www.nutfruit.org/consumers/news/detail/pistachio-2021-2022-crop-forecast

Pistachio Production Worldwide Market Share

The US, Iran, and Turkey comprise 96% of the pistachio production (dried in-shell) market share. The United States with 528,000 MT in 2021 has the largest market share (70%). Iran with 135,000 MT and Turkey with 68,000 MT pistachio productions in 2021 are ranked second and third respectively in the market share.

The remaining 5% belongs to Syria, Greece, Afghanistan, and other countries. Syria has produced 22,000 MT and Greece has produced 7,200 MT of dried in-shell pistachios in 2021 which accounted for the 2% of the global market share. International Nut and Dried Fruit Council have shown the average pistachio production in the last 5 years.

What Is Going on Over European Pistachio Market?

Europe has the largest importing market for pistachio nuts. This market has had an increase with an annual average rate of 4% since 2014, and this growth will probably continue in the next five years. But, definitely, the import volume depends on the harvest crop volume, price fluctuations, and demands.

The two main suppliers of pistachio to Europe are the United States and Iran. The US is the largest supplier with 67% and Iran is the second largest supplier with 17% of the total supply. According to statistics, the US export volume of pistachio to Europe in 2020-2021 was 88,744,000 tons, and for Iran, this volume was 21,691,000 tons.

Among European countries, Germany has the largest pistachio market and has the highest pistachio consumption. Other largest European importer countries are Italy, Spain, and France. Italy and Spain are the two European countries that cultivate pistachios themselves, but their production volume is not even enough to satisfy their domestic demand.

In the tables below the export volume of pistachio to each European country is shown separately. (Unit: Tones)

Article’s Important Points

• The United States, Iran, and Turkey are the three leading pistachio producing countries in the world.
• In 2021-2022 the production pistachio rate of the US was four times that of Iran.
• Iran’s production rate due to some unsuitable climate conditions has decreased in previous years, but by cultivating new pistachio orchards in some new provinces they are trying to stabilize this rate.
• California State comprises 99% of the pistachio production share in the United States.
• Pistachio consumption has had a 10% increase during the Covid-19 pandemic.
• The US, Iran, and Turkey comprise 96% of producing dried in-shell pistachios in 2021/2022.
• Iran and the United States are the two largest pistachio suppliers in the world. (Iran about 18%, and America about 70% of the total supply)
• Europe has the largest pistachio importing market. Germany is the largest pistachio importer, followed by Italy, Spain, and France.

Conclusion!

The US, Iran, and Turkey are the top pistachio producing countries that produce 97% of pistachio nuts in the world. The United States is by far the largest producing and exporting country, followed by Iran, and Turkey.

Recently, due to the increasing rate of pistachio consumption, the pistachio industry has become more and more competitive. As a result, countries which have suitable pistachio cultivation conditions are establishing new pistachio orchards. In addition to these three top producing countries, Syria, Greece, and some European countries such as Italy and Spain are cultivating pistachio trees as well. But, the production rate of these countries is not even enough to provide their domestic demands, so they have to import pistachios mostly from the US and Iran.

In the end, it is noteworthy to mention that the pistachio types cultivated in America, Iran, and Turkey have their own specific characteristics (appearance, taste, size). You can investigate these characteristics to find the most suitable pistachio type that fits you the best.