Disappointing pistachio crops push up prices

摘要

Pistachio prices have risen in recent months as key supplier Iran has boosted its exports to markets outside Europe, where customers are less fastidious about quality and/or not part of trade and banking sanctions against its nuclear programme. The big boom area for Iran remains China, which has more or less doubled its annual intake to over 10,000 tonnes in two years to become by far the largest single outlet for this source. Even so, Germany and Belgium remain significant buyers, taking about 5,000 tonnes in total. Frost and other weather issues appear to have taken the top off an initially promising Iranian crop.