TEHRAN, May 28 (Xinhua) -- Pistachio production in Iran is likely to decrease by 30 percent in the current Iranian calendar year from March 21, 2018 to March 20, 2019, compared with the year before, Financial Tribune reported on Monday.
Nearly 200,000 tons of pistachios are estimated to be produced in Iran during the period, marking a decline of 80,000 tons compared with last year's production, said Shokrollah Hajivand, an official with the Agriculture Ministry.
"The expected decrease is due to extreme cold and hot temperatures experienced by pistachio orchards this year," Hajivand said.
Iran's pistachio production has been badly hit by the country's worsening water crisis.
According to Iran Pistachio Association, every year Iran loses between 8,000 and 12,000 hectares of pistachio orchards due to water shortage and soil salination.
There are around 300,000 hectares of pistachio orchards in Iran now, according to statistics.
Iran and the United States account for 85 percent of the global production of pistachio, according to Iran Pistachio Association.
