LONDON, April 23 (IranMania) – Iran exported 136,000 tons of pistachios worth over $800 mln

Behrooz Gheibi, the Agriculture-Jihad Ministry’s director general for pistachio affairs, told ISNA that production has declined in the current year due to bad weather conditions.

He, however, rejected reports that inclement weather would have destroyed 70% of the crop this year, stressing that official estimates on the extent of damage are expected within a week.

Also speaking to ISNA on Friday was the managing director of Pistachio Producers Association who said pistachio production could decline by over 60% in the year to March 2006 due to unseasonal hot weather in March and frosts in April that hit almost all parts of the country’s pistachio growing region in the southern province of Kerman.

Navid Moaven said water shortage is the main obstacle to pistachio production this year.

He further said that the yield per hectare in Iran remains as low as one ton, whereas other pistachio producing countries harvest three tons per hectare.

Moaven said the farmers sell pistachios to cooperative companies for US $4.1 per kilo. Pistachio production has been under stricter quality control in recent years, when the country has managed to expand its pistachio export markets throughout Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa.

Iran, the largest producer, controls 50% of the global pistachio market.

It produced 240,000 tons of pistachios in 2003. during March 2004-2005, said a senior agro official on Friday.