News of February 2020
PISTACHIO
IRAN: Small pistachio harvest in the US and Turkey, GOOD HARVEST year in Iran
The worldwide cultivation volume for pistachios for 2019/20 is estimated to drop of 11% to 694,000 tones. News of February 2020
The fall in volume for 2019/20 is due to an off-year in both the US and Turkey. However, Iran has had a good harvest year, which slightly compensates for the lower cultivation volume elsewhere.
The Iran harvest, reported by the Iranian Pistachio Association, is expected to recover to 205,000 tonnes after last year’s bad weather. News of February 2020
It is expected that the pace will accelerate to the main markets of China, the European Union and Turkey, increasing overall exports to 125,000 tons.
The cultivation volume in the US is expected to fall by 26% to 332,000 tones as a result of the lower revenue from the off-year.
The pistachio harvest in Turkey is expected to fall by 60% to 85,000 tones, comparable to earlier off-years. A lower cultivation volume will have a limited effect on trade, since almost the entire harvest is consumed domestically. (Quoted from Freshplaza 19-02-2020)
ALMOND
USA: Trade tensions with India and China put California almond growers at risk
Now the future of that market is uncertain.
This month, India imposed tariffs on almonds and 27 other U.S. products, including apples and walnuts, in retaliation for the United States ending India’s preferential trade status.
Those tariffs, which took effect June 16, come on top of significant tariffs China placed on almonds last year. The tariffs add about 12 cents a pound for shelled almonds, a 20% increase, and about 4 cents a pound for those still in their shells, a rise of 17%.
The hit from China’s tariffs was much harder:
That country imposed 50% tariffs on U.S. almonds in an escalating trade war.
Exports to China decreased by about one-third, according to the almond board. For California farmers, most immediately the tariffs mean planning difficulties as the harvest season approaches. For example, some may need to take on more of the shipping costs to make up for the increased prices, which will be negotiated in the contracts.
The handlers then may absorb the increased costs or force growers to accept less for their crops.
To cope, farmers may cut down on spending on equipment and fertilizer, perhaps making the choice to forgo replacing a tractor or other big-ticket item.
If the Indian tariffs slow the flow of inventory, as happened after the Chinese tariffs, the capacity of storage facilities may be stretched. (Quoted from Latimes.com 2-02-2020
RAISIN
IRAN: Raisins, Iran’s 3rd Major Non-Oil Export Commodity
Raisins are Iran’s third top non-oil export item after carpets and pistachios, the head of East Azarbaijan Agricultural Jihad Organization said. Akbar Fathi added that East Azarbaijan Province exports 170,000 tons of raisins annually.
Iran produces between 150,000 and 170,000 tons of raisins per year, the Persian economic daily Donya-e-Eqtesad reported, adding that East Azerbaijan accounts for 70-80% of the output.
According to Younes Jaeleh, the head of Tabriz Chamber of Commerce, Iran produces more than 286,000 tons of grapes annually with East Azerbaijan Province having a 68,700-ton share. (Quoted from Financial tribune 19-02-2020)
DATE
IRAN: Iran accounts for 15% of the global trade in dates
According to Agriculture Ministry officials, Iran exported more than 300,000 tons of dates in the last fiscal year (March 2018-19) to account for 15% of global trade of this particular crop.
“Iran is the world’s second biggest producer of dates with an annual production of around 1.2 million tons. The figure accounts for 10% of the global output,” Zahra Jalili Moqaddam was also quoted as saying. Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Pakistan, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, Oman and Libya are top 10 producers of dates in the world. Egypt has the biggest production and Algeria has the biggest area of land under date cultivation.
There are a dozen types of dates produced in Iran. Chairman of the National Association of Iranian Dates Mohsen Rashid Farrokhi said Iran around 20% of its overall production. ported. (Quoted from Freshplaza 18-02-2020) News of February 2020
SAFFRON
IRAN: Iran’s Q1-3 saffron exports earn $200m
A total of 186 tons of saffron worth $200 million were exported from Iran during the first nine months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Dec. 21, 2019), according to the executive manager of the Agriculture Ministry’s National Medicinal Plants Project. This year, more than 404 tons of saffron were harvested from over 114,000 hectares of land,” Hossein Zeynali was also quoted as saying by ILNA. “Iran exports saffron to 10 countries, mostly through the UAE,” Mohsen Ehtesham, the head of Iran’s National Council of Saffron, has been quoted. News of February 2020
Spain, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Italy, Afghanistan, Qatar, India, Germany and France are the main destinations of Iranian saffron. (Quoted from Financial tribune 17-02–2020)
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