Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb.15 / Trend F.Milad/
Iran has banned exports of pistachio in a bid to curb rising prices in the domestic market, the Fars News Agency reported.
Iranian First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi has ordered the stopping of pistachio exports for six months in order to help regulate prices.
Iranian Customs Administration data shows that each kilogramme of Iranian exquisite pistachio is currently exported at $8.2.
This is while the same product is sold at around 500,000 rials (about $40) on the domestic market.
Iran exported some 80,000 tons of pistachio in the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year which began on March 20, 2012, ISNA quoted Mohsen Jalalpour, head of the association of Iranian pistachio farmers, as saying.
China was the main importer of Iranian pistachio, accounting for 70 per cent of imports, he noted.
Pistachio output is projected to reach 200,000 tons this year, he said, adding that the output stood at 180,000 tons last year.
Exports are estimated to amount to 130,000 tons in the current year, he added.
