Commodity Profile: Pistachios - UC Agricultural Issues Center

Agricultural Issues Center
University of California

Prepared August 2002
Updated November 2003

Commodity Profile: Pistachios

by Henrich Brunke
Post Graduate Researcher
[email protected]

Almost all U.S. pistachios are produced in California. Production of pistachios in
California is about 75 years old. In the last 30 years the nut has flourished. Called the
most successful crop ever to be introduced to the United States in the last century,
pistachios have seen 100-fold growth since the first harvest. According to the California
Pistachio Commission (CPC), California, the second largest pistachio producer in the
world, had its first commercial crop in 1976 with just 4,350 acres, which resulted in a 1.5
million pound harvest. The 2001 crop year saw California producing approximately 160
million pounds, down from a record of approximately 242 million pounds the previous
year (Table 1.1). In 2001, California’s bearing acreage for pistachio production was
78,000 acres. The growth has been very consistent for the last 30 years and is expected
to continue with the non-bearing acreage reaching a record level of 23,500 total acres in
2001 (California Agricultural Statistical Service, CASS).

The pattern of production for pistachios is similar to other nut crops in that they
have alternate bearing years, which affects yield and total production. Annual production
is variable and hard to predict. The trees generally have a high yielding year followed by
a low yielding year, but there are exceptions. Examples of this can be seen in the yield
data in table 1.1. California pistachio yields were 1,055 pounds per acre in 1980, but fell
to 523 pounds per acre in 1981. Yields rebounded in 1982 to 1,468 pounds per acre.
This pattern is not always the case and there are other factors that affect production and
yield, including weather and new trees coming into production. The high yielding years
of 1992 and 1997 were both followed by even higher yields breaking the alternating
bearing pattern. The “off”-year “on”-year cycle, however, is one of the dominating
factors in quantity produced, price received, total value, and value of bearing acreage
(Risk Management Agency (RMA), USDA). The total pistachio crop usually does not
have the same marketable quality. A certain percentage of the nuts have not opened
before they are harvested and are classified as “closed shell” or “shelling stock” (Table
1.2). These nuts do not have the same value as “open shell,” but can be sold to
processors or exported (CPC). The share of non-spilt nuts is higher during high-yield
years (CPC). The year 2000 high-yield crop had 78.2 percent open shell pistachios,
while in the 1999 low-yield crop that share had been 85.3 percent (Table 1.3). The 2001

crop year yielded fewer pistachios because it was an off year. The average yield per acre
was 2,055 pounds, down from 3,239 pounds per acre in 2000.

In 2000, Arizona produced 4,000,000 pounds of pistachios and had a five-year
average (1996-2000) of 5,136,000 pounds (Table 1.4). Arizona’s production peaked in
1997 at 7,983,000 pounds, or about 4 percent of California’s production. Arizona’s 2000
production represented just 1.5 percent of national production that year (Arizona
Agricultural Statistical Service, AASS). This share is too small to have significant
impacts on the national market for pistachios.

Production breakdown by county data, displayed in table 1.6, shows that Kern
County is ranked first with 77 million pounds or 48 percent of all California production
in 2001. Madera accounts for 19.5 percent, Tulare 11 percent, Kings 7 percent, Fresno 6
percent, and Merced 3 percent, with the rest making up around 5 percent, or 7.8 million
pounds. (CASS).

Pistachio Acreage
California Pistachio acreage has been steadily increasing since the industry’s first
commercial crop in 1976. The state had 34,726 total acres devoted to pistachio
production in 1980, which has increased to 101,500 total acres in 2001 (table 1.5), almost
three times as high as in 1980 (CPC). Bearing acreage for 2001 was estimated by the
California Statistics Service at 78,000 acres, up 5 percent from 74,578 bearing acres in
2000, and up 203 percent from 25,773 bearing acres in 1980. Bearing acreage has
increased every year since pistachios have been commercially produced (except for 1984,
when bearing acreage fell slightly from the previous year). During 1987, 1988, and 1989,
pistachio acreage, which was bearing, increased dramatically, while non-bearing acreage
decreased by large margins. This occurred because of new trees coming into production
(CPC). In 1986, the state’s total bearing acres increased by 6,742 acres. In 1988, it
increased another 6,249 acres and grew again in 1989 by 3,666 acres (CPC). Total
bearing acreage increased by 16,657 acres in just three years. At the same time, the non-
bearing acreage was decreasing. In the four years from 1986 to 1989 the total non-
bearing acreage fell from 20,438 acres to 12,000 acres. This pattern can also be seen in
1994 and 1995 when the bearing acreage increased by 6,793 acres, while the non-bearing
acreage decreased in 1995 by 3,233 acres. A similar pattern can be detected currently. In
the last four years (1998-2001) bearing acreage has increased by 10,000 acres, while non-
bearing acreage saw an increase from 1998 to 2001 of only 4,200 acres. New plantings
of pistachios have been increasing in recent years, compared to the decade before. In
1999, 5,496 acres were newly planted. It was the first time that the quantity exceeded
5,000 acres since 1982. If taken in five-year average groupings, the time period from
1996-2000 had the highest average (4,106 acres) since 1981-1985 (4,711 acres), much
higher than during 1986-1990 (2,169 acres), or during 1991-1995 (3,626 acres). These
new plantings mean that pistachio production and bearing acreage could continue to rise
in the years to come. Normally it takes a pistachio tree 7-8 years to mature before it
produces an economically significant crop and 12-15 years to reach full potential (CPC).

In 2001, pistachios in California were centered in Kern County, which had 38
percent of the state’s total pistachio acres (Table 1.6). Madera Country was ranked
second, with 25 percent of production. Madera County had been the leading producing

county until the late 1980s when acreage increased in Kern County. Tulare County
accounted for 9 percent. According to the CASS acreage report, Kings County produced
8 percent, Fresno County 7 percent, Merced County 6 percent, and all others the
remaining 7 percent. Kern County grows the majority of the state’s new plantings, and
therefore will likely increase its share of the state’s total production. In 1999 and 2000,
9,399 new acres were planted in California and Kern County accounted for 75 percent of
that total. Kern County had slightly over 50 percent of all non-bearing acres in the state
(CASS).

Arizona had 2,700 acres of pistachios under production in 2000, up slightly from
2,383 acres in 1995, but down from the high of 2,935 acres in 1996 (Arizona Agricultural
Statistics Service). Arizona’s acreage accounts for less than 3 percent of total U.S.
acreage. New Mexico had 391 acres of pistachios in 1999, which made up less than 0.5
percent of total acreage (New Mexico Agricultural Statistics, 2000).

California Pistachio Crop Value
As Table 1.7 shows, the 2000 pistachio crop produced the highest crop value on record.
The 241 million pounds of pistachio produced that year had a total value of $239 million,
or $3,207 per bearing acre (CPC). Both total value and value per bearing acre surpassed
the records set in 1997 at $202 million in total value and $3,103 per bearing acre. The
average return per pound of $0.99 in 2000 was the lowest since 1984 and second lowest
in the last 20 years (CPC). In 2001, the value of the California pistachio crop was down
from $166.7 million the previous year. The average return per pound was $1.04 per
pound and the value per bearing acre came to $2,137. The alternate bearing nature of
pistachio trees plays a key role in the value of the crop. The values can change
significantly from one year to the next, due to the large changes in yield, but this can be
offset by storage and reserve stocks (USDA, Fruit and Tree Nut Outlook, Sep 2001).

When the industry has a high-yield year in general, total value and value per acre
are higher, but prices are usually higher in low-yield years. For the last 20 years,
pistachio prices per pound have shown a very gradual downward slope from a high of
$2.05 a pound in 1980 to $1.04 per pound in 2001. The trends for total value and value
per bearing acre have been increasing for the last 20 years. Total value has increased
significantly, due mostly to increases in acreage. In 1980, the total value of the
California pistachio crop was valued at $55.8 million, only one fourth of the total value in
2000. Value per bearing acre has gone up slightly in the last 20 years, which could in
part be due to California’s trees maturing and producing higher yields. The value per
bearing acre had a five-year average of $1,642 per acre between 1980-1984. Between the
years 1996 and 2000, the average was $2,658 per acre.

California Pistachio Farm Size
The 1997 Census of Agriculture data showed that in California there were 1,015 distinct
pistachio farms on 91,395 acres, up from 920 farms in 1992. California Pistachio
Commission data shows that for the 2001 crop there were 647 “separate legal entities that
were growers. Several growers own more than one entity.” The difference in the
numbers could reflect differences in definitions of what constitutes a farm. A set of
partners may own a number of farms, which under one definition could be counted as one
entity, while under the other definition could be counted as more than one farm. The

CPC tallies the number of growers, but a grower may own more than one farm, while the
census counts separate farms as separate operating units. The CPC breaks down the farm
sizes as follows, 445 entities produced less than 100,000 pounds, 100 entities produced
100,000 to 250,000 pounds, 43 entities produced 250,001 to 1,000,000 pounds, and 59
entities produced 1,000,000 pounds or more.

The Census of Agriculture farm size information is available in table 1.8, which
shows that while there are only 139 farms with over 100 acres, they produced about 80
percent of the state’s production in 1996. Both sets of information show that there are
high numbers of farms producing on small amounts of acreage, but most of the
production comes from a small number of larger farms. No public data on other crops
grown by farms that produce pistachios are known nor are total farm revenues of these
farms known.

Using a price of $1.10 per pound, a grower reaches revenue of $750,000 with
sales of 682,000 pounds. With an average yield of 2,500 pounds per acre revenue per
acre is $2,750. Using this figure, a grower reaches revenue of $750,000 with 272 acres.
Using a yield of 2,000 pounds per acre, growers reach revenue of $750,000 with 340
acres. Using the acreage distribution from the 1997 Census of Agriculture in table 1.8,
the number of farms with less than $750,000 is between 953 and 983 out of a total of
1015. Using data from the CPC listed above, more than 588 entities out of 647 entities
would have revenue of less than $750,000.

Unlike other tree nuts, pistachio farms increased in both, size and number from
1997 to 1999 (Fruit and Tree Nuts Situation and Outlook, Sept 2000). The average sized
pistachio farm in California increased from 68 acres in 1987 to 90 acres in 1997 (Fruit
and Tree Nuts Situation and Outlook, Sept 2000).

For the state of Arizona, the census of agriculture data shows that there were 63
pistachio farms on 2,735 acres in 1997.

Current tariffs and policy changes resulting from NAFTA
The United States currently imposes a tariff of 0.9 cents per kilogram on in shell
pistachio imports and 1.9 cents per kilogram on shelled pistachio imports from nations
with which the United States maintains normal trade relations. Tariffs are much higher
for trading partners that have had the normal trade status suspended by specific U.S.
legislation. Such nations, face a tariff of 5.5 cents per kilogram and 11 cents per
kilogram, respectively, when shipping pistachios into the United States.

U.S. tariffs for pistachios ranged from 1 to 2.2 cents per kilogram before 1989.
Under NAFTA in 1994, the tariff was immediately cut to zero for imports from Mexico.

Before CUSTA, Canada did not impose duties on fresh pistachio shipments from
the United States. Processed pistachios also entered Canada duty-free. The Mexican
tariff on U.S. pistachios was 20 percent before NAFTA. That tariff was eliminated
immediately in 1994 upon the implementation of NAFTA.

Exports
The value of U.S. pistachio exports had been steadily rising until 1997 when it decreased
by over $200 million, from over $700 million to below $500 million (FAS). The year

1998 saw a rebound back to just below $700 million, but the value decreased again in
1999 to a little over $500 million (FAS). The U.S. market share of worldwide export
value increased greatly in 1997 to a record high of about 11 percent (FAS). During 1996
when value was high at over $700 million, the global market share of the United States
was around 6 percent (FAS).

The United States exported almost 64 million pounds of pistachios in the
2000/2001-crop year (Table 1.9). Belgium and Hong Kong were the biggest importers,
purchasing 11.4 and 10.3 million pounds, respectively. Germany (6 million pounds of
pistachios), Canada (5.6 million), Japan (5.3 million), Italy (4.3 million), France (3.7
million), Mexico (2.9 million), and China (2.5 million) were other major export
destinations. The top six European Union importers of U.S. pistachios (Belgium,
Germany, Italy, France, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) accounted for 33.3
million pounds, or 52 percent of all U.S. pistachios exported during the 2000-2001-crop
year. Mexico and Canada, the United States’ NAFTA trading partners imported 8.6
million pounds, which represented 13 percent of total exports in 2000-2001.

The pistachio industry exports all grades of the nut. In 1999, 81 percent of export
shipments were open in shell, 12 percent were closed shell, 4 percent were loose kernels,
and 3 percent were shelling stock (CPC).

Through the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service, the California Pistachio
Commission receives funding to promote California pistachios in the following export
markets: Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Canada and the
United Kingdom (FAS). The Commission also supports a number of additional export
markets through Commission-funded programs. The Market Access Program (MAP)
funds to the pistachio industry have averaged about $800,000 a year for the last five
years; this comes from the $95 million in total funding MAP has received every year for
those five years (FAS). The industry received the most money in the 1993 when MAP
supplied $1.3 million, and the least funding in 1996 when its allocation was slightly less
then $400,000 (FAS). Market growth is evident in areas around the globe. Between
1999 and 2000, growth in the Asian markets of Australia ($2 million to $4 million),
China ($1 million to $2.5 million), Korea ($0.5 million to $1.4 million), and Malaysia
($0.5 million to $1.3 million) has been significant. Other areas of increase include Italy
($3.5 million to $6.3 million dollars between 1999 and 2000), and Mexico ($1 million to
$6 million). Some smaller markets (under $1 million) that are experiencing higher
pistachio imports from the United States are: Brazil (up 35 percent), New Zealand (up
181 percent), Egypt (up 75 percent), Thailand (up 92 percent), and India (up 93 percent)
(FAS).

Imports
The United States imports small amounts of pistachios (table 1.10). Turkey is by far the
largest exporter to the United States accounting for 83 percent of all imported pistachios
(CPC). Turkish pistachios are smaller and have different taste than domestic varieties.
Other sources for pistachio shipments into the United States include Iran (6 percent), Italy
(2 percent), and China (3 percent). The total amount of pistachios imported during the
2000-2001-crop year was 1,777,099 pounds, or 0.8 percent of domestic production
(CPC).

Prices
The price for pistachios in California decreased slightly during NAFTA. When taking
into account inflation, the price decreased from a high of $1.39 per pound to $0.91 per
pound in 2000 in 1996-dollar terms. However, the price largely depends on the quantity
entering the market, which varies considerably from year to year. The price in 1999, for
instance, was $1.27 per pound.

Sources

California Pistachio Commission. “Trade Data, History of the commission information”.
<http://pistachios.org>. Used Jan-Mar, 2002.

California Agricultural Statistical Service. “Pistachio Acreage and Forecast Reports”.
<http://www.nass.usda.gov/ca>. Used Feb-April, 2002.

United States Customs Service: Trade Data on Website of United States International
Trade Commission. Available at: http://dataweb.usitc.gov/scripts/user_set.asp

United States Department of Agriculture. Economic Research Service. Fruit and Tree
Nuts Outlook and Yearbook. Available at:
http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/fts/

United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service. Attaché Reports.
Available at: http://www.fas.usda.gov/scriptsw/attacherep/default.asp

United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service:
Horticultural and Tropical Products Division. “The U.S. Pistachio Industry
Situation”.
<http://www.fas.usda.gov/htp/horticulture/Tree%20Nuts/Freelance%20Graphics
%20-%20PIST.pdf>.

United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistical Service.
Commodity Reports. Available at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/pubs/estindx.htm

United States Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Statistical Service.
Census of Agriculture, 1997. Avialable at: http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/

United States Department of Agriculture: Risk Management Agency. “An Economic
Assessment of Pistachios: Executive Summary”. Available at:
http://www.rma.usda.gov/pilots/feasible/txt/pistchio.txt

United States International Trade Commission. The Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States (2002). Available at:
http://dataweb.usitc.gov/scripts/tariff/TOC.HTML

University of California Cooperative Extension. “Sample Costs to Establish a Pistachio
Orchard and Produce Pistachios (San Joaquin, 2000)”.
<http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu>. Used Feb 2002.

Table 1.1
California Pistachio Acreage, Yield, and Production, 1980-2001

Year Total Acreage Yield (lbs/Acre) Production
(mil. Lbs.)
1980 34,762 1,055
1981 40,625 523 27.2
1982 45,521 1,468 14.4
1983 47,102 844 43.9
1984 47,582 2,027 26.3
1985 51,071 838 63.0
1986 54,681 2,240 27.1
1987 57,350 818 76.7
1988 57,492 2,117 33.0
1989 62,900 800 93.4
1990 64,800 2,375 38.8
1991 69,000 1,465 119.9
1992 70,400 2,592 76.3
1993 72,700 2,648 146.5
1994 74,140 2,232 150.9
1995 73,700 2,449 128.3
1996 81,400 1,622 147.7
1997 82,435 2,746 104.3
1998 87,300 2,757 179.5
1999 92,000 1,724 187.5
2000 96,307 3,239 122.4
2001 101,500 2,055 241.6
160.3

Sources: California Agricultural Statistics Service
California Pistachio Commission

(1) Bearing acreage for 1989 to date is defined as plantings six years and older.

Bearing acreage prior to 1989 is defined as plantings seven years and older.
(2) Weighted average that included open in shell, shelling stock, closed shell and edible
kernels.

The prior years' figures are updates as revisions are received from CASS.

Table 1.2

California Pistachio Production History of Closed Shell and Shelling Stock,
1980-2001

Year Closed % of Total Shelling % of Total
1980 Shell* Production Stock Production
1981 - - 8,600,000 31.6%
1982 - - 3,244,633 22.9%
1983 - - 5,848,040 13.5%
1984 - - 5,432,540 20.6%
1985 - - 17,467,865 27.9%
1986 - - 4,791,268 17.6%
1987 - - 12,175,444 15.9%
1988 - - 4,306,135 12.9%
1989 - - 24,412,660 25.3%
1990 - - 6,327,550 16.0%
1991 - - 24,637,453 21.0%
1992 - - 17,515,762 22.9%
1993 - - 32,179,427 22.0%
1994 - - 38,261,038 25.3%
1995 - - 34,253,213 26.7%
1996 - - 40,310,145 27.3%
1997 - - 19,854,811 19.0%
1998 - - 42,876,464 23.9%
1999 38,644,205 20.6% 11,198,889 6.0%
2000 12,029,978 9.8% 5,986,704 4.9%
2001 38,638,066 16.0% 14,119,476 5.8%
26,356,995 16.4% 8,088,733 5.1%

Sources: California Agricultural Statistics Service
California Pistachio Commission Processor Producer Delivery Reports

* Prior to 1998 closed shell was included in shelling stock.

Table 1.3
California Pistachio Production History Open Shell, 1980-2001

Year Total Open % of Total Yield
1980 Production Inshell Production (Lbs./Acre)
1981 27,200,000 18,600,000 68.4% 1,055
1982 14,147,875 10,903,242 77.1% 523
1983 43,214,539 37,366,499 86.5% 1,468
1984 26,319,156 20,886,616 79.4% 844
1985 62,638,990 45,171,125 72.1% 2,027
1986 27,288,795 22,497,527 82.4% 838
1987 76,693,882 64,518,438 84.1% 2,187
1988 33,458,574 29,152,439 87.1% 818
1989 96,402,259 71,989,599 74.7% 2,117
1990 39,514,481 33,186,931 84.0% 800
1991 117,294,912 92,657,459 79.0% 2,375
1992 76,429,547 58,913,785 77.1% 1,465
1993 146,500,153 114,320,726 78.0% 2,592
1994 150,906,921 112,645,883 74.7% 2,648
1995 128,328,015 94,074,802 73.3% 2,232
1996 147,652,532 107,342,387 72.7% 2,449
1997 104,324,193 84,469,382 81.0% 1,622
1998 179,492,470 136,616,006 76.1% 2,746
1999 187,487,319 137,644,225 73.4% 2,757
2000 122,391,521 104,374,839 85.3% 1,724
2001 241,554,218 188,796,676 78.2% 3,239
160,295,282 125,849,554 78.5% 2,055

Sources: California Agricultural Statistics Service
California Pistachio Commission Processor Producer Delivery Reports

Table 1.4
Arizona Pistachio Acreage, Production, and Value, 1995-2000

Value of

Acres in Utilized Production Production
Production
Year (1,000 Lbs.) ($,000)

1995 2,383 5,719 5,490
1996 2,935 4,900 5,537
1997 2,735 7,983 9,021
1998 2735 3,897 7,717
1999 2800 4,900 7,350
2000 2700 4,000 3,920

Source: Arizona Agriculture Statistics Service

Table 1.5
California Acreage History, 1980-2001

Year Non- New Ratio of Bearing
Bearing bearing Total Plantings To Non-bearing

1980 25,773 8,989 34,762 1,382 2.87
1981 27,541 13,084 40,625 6,377 2.10
1982 29,902 15,619 45,521 5,478 1.91
1983 31,143 15,959 47,102 4,183 1.95
1984 30,788 16,794 47,582 2,506 1.83
1985 32,332 18,739 51,071 5,013 1.73
1986 34,243 20,438 54,681 2,299 1.68
1987 40,985 16,365 57,350 1,265 2.50
1988 47,234 10,258 57,492 1,533 4.60
1989 50,900 12,000 62,900 3,062 4.24
1990 53,700 11,100 64,800 2,687 4.84
1991 55,700 13,300 69,000 3,508 4.19
1992 56,500 13,900 70,400 2,902 4.06
1993 57,000 15,700 72,700 2,639 3.63
1994 57,507 16,633 74,140 3,514 3.46
1995 60,300 13,400 73,700 3,397 4.50
1996 64,300 17,100 81,400 4,209 3.76
1997 65,373 17,062 82,435 3,303 3.83
1998 68,000 19,300 87,300 3,620 3.52
1999 71,000 21,000 92,000 5,496 3.38
2000 74,578 21,730 96,307 3,903 3.43
2001 78,000 23,500 101,500 N/a 3.32

Sources: California Agricultural Statistics Service
California Pistachio Commission

*Non-bearing acreage for 2001 is estimated and will be revised after the
next acreage survey is conducted
Bearing acreage for 1989 to date is defined as plantings six years and older.
Bearing acreage prior to 1989 is defined as plantings seven years and older.

Table 1.6
California Pistachio 2001 Bearing Acreage, Production and Yield/Acre

By County and District

Bearing Closed Total Yield/
Production Bearing Acre
Acres Open Inshell Shell (Lbs.) (Lbs.)

District I 2,607
124
Kern 29,700 62,920,612 11,022,687 77,428,759 58
6,581 74
Los Angeles 65 899 1,332 8,048 385
23,530 1,616
Riverside 52 86,427 2,018 3,002 2,377
578,268 2,497
San Bernardino 420 13,921,273 5,402 30,986
San Luis Obispo 320 77,537,590 1,713
29,554 123,147 1,700
1,599
Santa Barbara 445 125,912 719,235 1,173
1,581
Tulare 7,394 2,548,110 17,576,759

District I Total 38,396 13,735,015 95,889,846

District II

Fresno 5,760 7,325,287 1,987,915 9,866,468
8,425,435 1,872,548 10,915,244
Kings 6,420 23,597,456 6,054,010 31,335,108
4,146,527 955,107 5,337,044
Madera 19,600 43,494,705 10,869,580 57,453,864

Merced 4,550

District II Total 36,330

Sources: Acreage - California Agricultural Statistics Service
Production - California Pistachio Commission Processor's Producer
Delivery Reports

Table 1.6 continued

California Pistachio 2001 Bearing Acreage, Production and Yield/Acre
By County and District

Bearing Total Yield/
Acres Production Bearing Acre
Open Inshell Closed Shell (Lbs.) (Lbs.)

District III 9 - - - -
Amador* 490 488,154 125,662 653,983 1,335
Butte 20 - - - -
Calaveras* 1,005 2,888,483 989,780 4,046,668 4,027
Colusa 57 74,873 18,765 101,570 1,782
Contra Costa 3 - - - -
El Dorado* 910 788,207 328,263 1,191,268 1,309
Glenn 14 - - - -
Mendocino* 56 43,980 21,238 68,803 1,229
Placer 11 - - - -
Sacramento* 85 77,837 42,634 128,675 1,514
San Joaquin 17 - - - -
Shasta * 14 8,084 8,421 16,898 1,207
Solano 106 108,109 21,446 148,019 1,396
Stanislaus 38 51,593 37,375 91,537 2,409
Sutter 194 178,272 60,108 270,600 1,395
Tehama 240 109,667 98,708 233,551 973
Yolo 5 - - - -
Yuba* 3,274 4,817,259 1,752,400 6,951,572 2,123
District Total

State Total 78,000 125,849,554 26,356,995 160,295,282 2,055

Sources: Acreage - California Agricultural Statistics Service
Production - California Pistachio Commission Processor's Producer Delivery Reports
* Although these counties have bearing acreage, there was no commercial production for 2001

Table 1.7
California Pistachio Crop Value, 1980-2001

Year Avg. Total Value per
1980 Return/lb.* Value (mil. $) Bearing Acre
1981 2.05 55.8 2,165
1982 1.36 19.6 712
1983 1.49 63.7 2,130
1984 1.41 37.3 1,198
1985 0.98 61.7 2,004
1986 1.37 36.6 1,132
1987 1.12 85.9 2,509
1988 1.37 47.2 1,152
1989 1.22 109.3 2,314
1990 1.63 63.2 1,242
1991 1.02 129.5 2,412
1992 1.25 100.7 1,808
1993 1.03 150.9 2,671
1994 1.07 161.5 2,833
1995 0.92 118.1 2,054
1996 1.09 160.94 2,669
1997 1.16 120.99 1,882
1998 1.13 202.84 3,103
1999 1.03 193.1 2,840
2000 1.33 162.78 2,293
2001 0.99 239.18 3,207
1.04 166.71 2,137

Sources: California Agricultural Statistics Service, California Pistachio Commission
(*) Weighted average that included open inshell, shelling stock, closed shell and edible
kernels.
The prior years' figures are updates as revisions are received from CASS.

Table 1.8: California pistachio farm numbers, total
acres and trees, by acre per farm, 1997

Acres In Farm Number of Number of
.1 to .9 Farms Acres Trees
1.0 to 4.9 1,600
5.0 to 14.9 48 16 N/A
15 to 24.9 204,918
25 to 49.9 179 N/A 352,442
50 to 99.9 N/A
100 or more 207 1,800 943,819
100 to 249.9 8,253,052
250 to 499.9 148 2,842 N/A
500 or more N/A
Total 189 N/A N/A
10,602,020
105 7,508

139 71,971

77 N/A

30 N/A

32 N/A

1,015 91,395

Source: 1997 Census of Agriculture
N/A withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual farms.

Table 1.9
2000/2001 Major California Pistachio Exports
Pounds

COUNTRY Crop Year 2000- Year 2001 (Jan-Dec)

2001* Customs Service

data

Australia 1,207,454 901,845
Belgium 11,462,169 9,829,890
Canada 5,609,528 6,143,130
China 2,514,726 3,406,725
France 3,725,715 5,620,545
Germany 5,993,722 8,207,010
Hong Kong 10,306,015 12,888,225
Israel 998,114 1,040,760
Italy 4,343,834 5,225,850
Japan 5,322,352 5,071,500
Korea 405,907 326,340
Malaysia 641,784 249,165
Mexico 2,965,615 2,522,520
Netherlands 1,788,042 3,863,160
Singapore 1,320,661 1,159,830
United Kingdom 737,881 683,550
Venezuela 449,000 599,760
TOTAL* 63,956,216 73,285,380

Source: United States Department of Commerce
*Total includes all countries. The Pistachio crop year goes from September to August
Data reflects total shipments and does not report in shell and kernels separately

Table 1.10
Pistachio Imports into the United States, 2000/2001
Pounds

COUNTRY Crop Year 2000- Year 2001(Jan-Dec)
2001* Customs Service Data
Afghanistan
Canada 29,467 28,665
China 16,598 35,280
France 50,000 74,970
Greece 3,874 2,205
Iran 5,899 4,410
Italy 100,033 127,890
Lebanon 42,862 39,690
Turkey 21,585 6,615
United Arab 1,486,006 1,285,515
Emirates
19,436 19,845
Other
TOTAL 11,112 11,025
1,777,099 1,636,110

Source: United States Department of Commerce
*Total includes all countries. The Pistachio crop year runs from September to August
Data reflects total shipments and does not report in shell and kernels separately.