In a huge factory in the heart of California's farmland, millions of pistachio shells rush from metal chutes to conveyor belts, where they are inspected, baked, packaged and shipped to supermarkets around the world. Pistachios are available with or without shells, and the flavors range from salty and peppery to honey roasted.
The Associated Press reported on November 10 that Americans and Chinese love pistachios, and pistachios are also a popular snack during the Chinese New Year. Many California pistachios are sold to China. Industry experts also said that Americans also eat more pistachios. The previous generation rarely bought pistachios in grocery stores, but now pistachios can be found almost everywhere.
Happy As pistachios grow rapidly in California, farmers are dedicating more land to the crop, which is more cold-tolerant and drought-tolerant in a state prone to wild swings in rainfall. The crop generated nearly $3 billion in revenue in California last year, and over the past decade the U.S. has surpassed Iran to become the world's largest exporter of pistachios.
California grows more than a third of the nation's vegetables and three-quarters of its fruits and nuts, according to California Agriculture Statistics. Pistachios have soared over the past decade to become the state's sixth-largest agricultural product, surpassing long-standing crops such as strawberries and tomatoes in value, the data show.
Wonderful is a $6 billion agricultural company that owns Halo Citrus and FIJI Water, the largest brand in the pistachio industry. Rob Yraceburu, president of Wonderful Orchards, said the company began growing pistachios in the 1980s and stepped up its planting efforts in 2015 after developing a rootstock that could produce 40% more under the same soil and water conditions.
Wonderful now grows 15% to 20% of the pistachios in the United States. "The demand for pistachios is growing," Yraceburu said. "The world wants more."
Unlike almonds and other more sensitive crops, pistachio orchards require very little water to maintain growth during droughts. Yraceburu said pistachio trees also rely on wind rather than bees for pollination and can continue to produce fruit for decades.
The rise of pistachios is part of a shift by California farmers to perennial crops that offer higher returns than products such as cotton, according to a 2023 report by the Public Policy Institute of California.
Brad Franklin, a researcher at the institute's Water Policy Center, said: Franklin said perennial crops don't need to be replanted every year, so they can't be replaced at will in dry years, which can be challenging during widespread droughts.
Pistachios have advantages over other perennial crops, such as being able to survive longer without water and grow in saline soils. He said this could be attractive to California farmers who face a law limiting how much groundwater they can pump.
Pistachios per acre (0.4 hectares)
