Does pistachio remain synonymous with the name Iran?
Pistachio production in Iran, while creating employment in various stages of production and export, is a valuable source for our country to earn foreign exchange income, so that from the export of this product even up to one billion dollars in foreign exchange income has been obtained for the country, but Maintaining this position depends on high production and supply of better quality and cheaper products in global markets, while to establish Iran’s global position in pistachio production, comprehensive and long-term plans for our country’s pistachios should be sought.
In our country, pistachio is one of the products known as Iran along with carpets and caviar, and in the non-oil export sector, pistachio export plays a very important role, although in the production of this product competitors such as the United States, Turkey, Syria and China. Found for our country, but still in the world markets, Iran is the main producer and exporter of pistachios.
But looking at the statistics of production and export of pistachios in previous years, it can be seen that the production and export of this product during the years 1385 to 1387 has a downward trend that this decline in production and exports in 1387 has become much more intense, although the production and export of 2009 has increased compared to the previous year, but has not yet reached the production and export of 1385 and 1386.
Given these statistics and the dissatisfaction that is sometimes voiced by producers and exporters, it seems that there are problems in the production and export of pistachios in our country, in this regard, Mohammad Hossein Karimipour – Chairman of the Agriculture Commission of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce – Pistachio orchards have a great weight in Iranian agriculture, he said. Pistachio orchards with an area of ??about 450,000 hectares are the largest horticultural cover in the country, and of course this horticulture often occurs in places that have no alternative varieties and the lowest varieties in these areas. It is like a special pistachio.
He pointed out that in addition to economic and horticultural functions, pistachios have other different functions in the national economy of Iran, he continued: For example, if pistachio production is removed from the rural economy of provinces such as Kerman and Yazd, rural areas of these provinces are much poorer than regions. They will become villagers of Balochistan.
The head of the Agriculture Commission of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce, pointing out that more than 350,000 hectares of pistachio orchards are located in southeastern Iran and central Iran, said: If pistachio orchards were not in these areas, the corridor of drug trafficking from Iran to Central Asia would not happen. , Because one of the foundations of security in the southeast and center of Iran is the expansion of pistachio orchards in deserts without which no human would live, but today due to the existence of these orchards full of life, full of village, full of It has come and is full of security.
He continued by stating that 90% of the pistachio economy is an export economy: if the production, export and competition of this product in the world markets are disrupted while at least 1.2 billion dollars of export income is lost from the country, at least 200 thousand employed people, Useful and wealthy in this country become new customers of the relief committee and certainly in some provinces, especially Kerman and Yazd, we will experience widespread cultural and social disruptions.
Karimipour, emphasizing that pistachios can not be placed next to any other product, added: Pistachios account for at least 40% of Iran’s agricultural exports and between eight to 11% of Iran’s total non-oil exports, but this valuable product has a wide range of strategic challenges. That should pay attention to these problems.
The head of the Agriculture Commission of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce considered water as one of these problems and strategic problems of pistachios and said: Unfortunately, almost without exception, almost all centers of gravity of Iranian pistachio production rely on groundwater aquifers and use well water to produce almost all Iranian pistachios. Of course, all the main centers of gravity of these groundwater aquifers are critical or supercritical.
Referring to the traditional structure of pistachio production in Iran, Karimipour said: Iranian pistachios are often produced sparsely and in small orchards, which not only increases the cost of production but also makes the quality stable to participate in harsh markets. Not so controllable.
He stressed: The only way to preserve, hunt and develop Iranian pistachios is to first believe that pistachios are not apricots in the economy and macro plan of our country and agriculture. If we accept this issue and attach importance to it, we must have a comprehensive plan or strategic plan for it. Prepare it in which all items related to pistachios can be seen.
The head of the Agriculture Commission of the Iranian Chamber of Commerce emphasized: Until the day when we do not have a comprehensive strategic plan for pistachios in this country and a suitable 10-year plan and a long-term view, pistachios will be under a lot of pressure and will have many problems.
In this regard, Mohammad Yarmohammadi – exporter of pistachios – while considering pistachios as a strategic product for our country, added: The name of this product in the world is synonymous with the name of Iran and goods such as carpets and pistachios are two specific symbols for our country and pistachios produced In the world, and especially in the United States, which is one of our country’s competitors, it is also generally planted and produced through seedlings that have been taken to these areas by Iranians.
He continued by stating that in our country more than one million and 500 thousand people earn their living by planting, holding, processing and exporting pistachios. For years, it has not been less than one million dollars, which is an index number in the country’s export statistics, but unfortunately, for some reason, this product has been neglected a lot.
Yarmohammadi, referring to the problems of pistachio producers and exporters in our country, said: Currently, pistachio growers in our country complain about the lack of water to produce their products and water shortages in areas such as Kerman, Rafsanjan and Yazd as pistachio production hubs in the country. It has created many problems for pistachio producers. In addition, pistachio exporters are among the last people that the country’s officials pay attention to.
The pistachio exporter stated: Despite the many trade deals we have with foreign countries, our country’s officials have not yet been able to obtain a preferential import tariff for importing Iranian pistachios from any of the major destinations for Iranian pistachios, and this is when our country’s pistachios US Pistachios Import to China Iranian products should be sold at a cheaper price because Chinese traders pay less customs duty in exchange for US pistachios.
Yarmohammadi continued his remarks: While pistachios produced in Iran have a much higher position in terms of quality, taste, smell and properties, we should not reach a point where in some parts of the field for competitors, which is a lower quality product than pistachios. We are going to empty Iran, but unfortunately, despite these procedures, no one still looks at this issue as it should.
He further emphasized that none of the pistachio producers and exporters in our country expect an astronomical increase in pistachios, adding: Both pistachio producers and exporters agree with mass production, greater productivity and reasonable prices for pistachios in this way. Eliminate the motivation to plant pistachio trees in the United States and China and export enough quality and reasonably priced products that buyers give up American and Chinese pistachios and turn to Iranian pistachios more than before.
This pistachio exporter, stating that each container of pistachios is priced at about 150 million tomans, added: If pistachio exporters want to act in a capable way, they should always have at least 20 containers, in other words, close to three billion tomans of pistachios on water, but because Existing sanctions on our commercial transactions are done with 100% risk because after the delivery of pistachios, it is not clear whether money will come to us or not, and this money may come through a currency broker, in which case it is not clear whether we have money. Whether we like it or not, in this case, too, we have no way to pursue and we can not do a long-term plan because we can not have external credit.
He added: The banks of the country still think that by giving loans, things will be fixed, while this is not the case at all, and if an irrevocable letter of credit is opened for the pistachio exporter and he works like other exporters, It does not waste its capital and energy and that of others because work feeds itself.
Emphasizing that Iranian pistachios are always interested and buyers, the pistachio exporter added: Pistachios have never had a history of staying in Iran, but our long-term concern is whether we are the roots of American trees and other places that are now producing pistachios. They invest in drying them or they can dry the roots of our pistachio trees.
Yarmohammadi also acknowledged in next year’s production forecast: Fortunately, in 2009, almost 1.5 times and even more than the previous year, pistachios were produced and exported in the country, and for the new year, which begins in October this year, we predict 200,000 tons of products. Pistachios should be produced in Iran, and this is that if there is proper water available to producers in the country, we will be able to produce more than 300,000 tons, so we will be the first and last word in the world and the production incentives from countries. We will take another.