Iran exported $1.7 billion worth of pistachios in the calendar year to March 20, marking a 143% increase from the previous year, a senior agriculture ministry official said on Sunday.
Mohammad Mehdi Borumandi, who heads horticultural operations at the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad (MAJ), said the surge in pistachio exports was driven by a production increase, with total output exceeding 300,000 metric tons during the period.
“Pistachio remains Iran’s leading horticultural product,” Borumandi said, adding that approximately 650,000 hectares of land are under pistachio cultivation – the largest such area globally.
Iran’s southeastern Kerman province remains the country's primary pistachio-producing region. The sector employs around 350,000 people directly and generates an average of $1.5 billion in hard currency annually, according to Borumandi.
Over the past 11 years, Iran’s pistachio cultivation area has grown by 83%, he noted.
Despite the strong export performance, industry experts believe Iran could have captured a larger share of global markets if its food safety standards had been more closely aligned with European Union requirements.
Borumandi met with EU officials in Brussels last month to discuss harmonization efforts. According to a statement on the MAJ website, both sides expressed optimism about increasing Iranian pistachio exports to European countries.
Overall, Iran’s agricultural exports totaled $5.2 billion in the year to March, up 29% from the previous year, data from the Iranian customs office showed.