Tehran- Iran exported some 121,000 tons of pistachio to 62 countries during the first nine of the current Iranian calendar year 1403 (to end on March 20), the director general of Cold and Dry Fruits Affairs at the Ministry of Agriculture said.

 

"Pistachios rank first in agricultural exports, generating 1.2 billion US dollars in foreign exchange,” Salempur added.

 

Although Iran is mostly known for its vast hydrocarbon resources, there are some other precious products that people all around the world put the Iranian brand on and appreciate greatly, one such product is Iranian “green gold” or pistachio.

 

Cultivation of pistachios in Iran dates back to the Achaemenid period or the fifth century B.C; Like the great dynasty, the Islamic Republic was the world’s unrivaled, leading producer of pistachios for a long time, with southeastern Kerman province being the hub of production for so-called green gold.

 

Over the past decade, climate change has caused severe drought in Iran, leading to 85 percent of the country being classified as arid or semi-arid. The decline in annual average rainfall and shortage of surface water has forced farmers to dig more wells to pump water from underground reserves.