Iran's Customs Department says the country has exported 179.6 thousand tons of pistachios worth $1.117bn in the past 11 months.

Press TV -- Iran has set a record in exporting pistachios in terms of both weight and value in the history of exportation of this crop, Mowj News Agency reported from the country's Ministry of Agricultural Jihad.

According to the ministry's report, the quality of exported pistachios has also improved as indicated in the reduced number of returned freights.

The number of returned pistachio freights declined from 560 in 2004 to 253 in 2006, while the volume of exports to Europe was constant at 30 thousand tons, the report said.

Officials in Iran's agriculture sector believe that the success achieved in pistachio exports during this period resulted from greater cooperation between the public and private sectors in cultivation and exportation phases of the crop.

... Payvand News - 04/14/08 ...