Khorasan Razavi -  Pistachio growers in Khushab County, in Khorasan Razavi province, have produced around 30,000 tons of fresh pistachios this year, with nearly 9,000 tons processed and supplied to domestic and international markets, according to local agricultural authorities.

 

Rahmatollah Nezafat, Acting Director of the Khushab County Agricultural Organization, said pistachio orchards now cover more than 13,000 hectares across the county, of which approximately 9,000 hectares are fully productive.

 

He noted that the end of the harvest season marks the beginning of large-scale exports, adding that Khushab has become one of the main logistics and export hubs for pistachios in eastern Iran.

 

Nezafat also highlighted the sector’s significant employment impact, saying that pistachio processing and export companies have created more than 3,500 direct jobs in the county.

 

“During the harvest period, over 160,000 person-days of work were recorded in orchards, with women accounting for more than 90 percent of the workforce involved in harvesting and processing operations.”