Pistachios, fruits of patience

We stood in the country’s biggest pistachio farm, in the centre of Iran. The region was previously known as the plane of cannibals, said our pistachio producer. He stood next to me when he noticed the surprise in my face and explained: The villages’ territory in the county Zarandieh of the province Markazi was named that way 40 years ago due to its bad soil quality.

40 years ago, he arrived as a courageous young man with a lot of endurance in the province Markazi as the semi-desert climate in central Iran provides ideal conditions for the pistachio production. After having sought for a long time, he finally found the right method with the help of scientists and started the cultivation of pistachios.

A piece of information that might intrigue you is that our pistachio farmer only uses 3’000 cubic meters of water a year to irrigate his pistachio orchards with this high production volume. The pistachio cultivation now already covers 500 hectares which is due to his success. Creativity is more than familiar to him and he knows and applies the newest watering systems.

A piece of information that might intrigue you is that our pistachio farmer only uses 3’000 cubic meters of water a year to irrigate his pistachio orchards with this high production volume. The pistachio cultivation now already covers 500 hectares which is due to his success. Creativity is more than familiar to him and he knows and applies the newest watering systems.

The fruit of smiling trees after years of struggling and patience…

Our pistachio man had to endure many difficulties which probably only a few could put up with. But 2009, after several inspections by international organic experts, his delicious pistachios were certified organic during the 32th meeting.

He went on to tell us that he possessed now 8 million pistachio trees in the same plane of cannibals which used to be infertile and that he created over 350 jobs by turning this desert into a dense forest of pistachio trees.

Iran is the second largest pistachio producer in the world with an annual production of 300’000 tons and exports pistachios valued at 1.18 billion USD to 70 countries.

Behind all Swisspica products lie great stories with unique people. Swisspica places the emphasis on organic products and such stories.