The U.S. pistachio crop for this year has exceeded expectations with a 15 percentage increase from the initial estimation that was 1.3 billion dollars. As of early November, the totals exceeded 1.48 billion pounds. And the actual harvest could be more than 1.5 billion pounds. California which is the main source of 99percent percent of U.S. the pistachio plant and has been able to benefit from favorable conditions that include plenty of cold winter nights, favorable spring temperatures, as well as an all-year-round crop for the alternative-bearing.
The optimistic conditions have allowed U.S. pistachio farmers to have a fruitful harvest and the size of pistachios of the huge crop been beyond expectations, and there has been no noticeable reduction in size despite the abundant supply. Richard Matoian, president of the American Pistachio Growers Association, stated his confidence in the business’s capability to sell its record-sized crop, in spite of the face of a bigger harvest from Iran which is a major competition.
The most surprising thing about this year’s pistachio season California was the low level of damages to insects caused by Navel the orangeworm (NOW) in spite of this being seen as an exceptional year for these insects in Central California. In contrast to almond farmers suffering from significant losses due to insects, pistachio growers have had a relatively low rate of Navel orangeworm damages. This success in reducing the damage caused by pests has been attributable to a collaborative effort by growers and processors of pistachios in order to shield the crop from diseases and pests.
The American Pistachio industry is in competition by global competitors like Iran as well as Turkey. Even though it is true that the U.S. produces about half of the world’s crop of pistachios, Iran and Turkey are major contributors to the global production. To improve the marketing effort in the area, they have announced that American Pistachio Growers Association has named Scott Fryer as the new vice president for international marketing. Fryer has previously worked as the director of innovation and marketing for Sun-Maid Growers in Fresno, is bringing his experience to the industry of pistachios in a time when quantity of pistachios available is anticipated to surpass 1.6 billion pounds, taking into account the carrying-in of the last season.
The industry has focused its efforts on highlighting the benefits for health of pistachios as part of our diets, but it is not easy to compete on the international market. In the meantime, the U.S. pistachio industry continues to be challenged by international competition, especially Iran and Turkey both of which contribute an important portion of worldwide pistachio industry. In spite of these obstacles however, the American Pistachio Growers Association remains positive about the prospects for marketing for the record-sized U.S. the pistachio plant.
Source: www.farmprogress.com