High yield expectations for pistachios

A "bumper year" is expected for pistachios, one of the most important agricultural products of the Southeastern Anatolia Region, particularly in Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep.

The Pistachio Research Institute will announce its yield forecast to the public this year, as it does every year, after conducting inspections in pistachio orchards with a team of 60 people.

Institute Director Ahmet Şahan stated that pistachios are among Turkey's most important agricultural products.

Noting that more than 90 percent of Turkey's pistachio production takes place in the Southeastern Anatolia Region, Şahan said, "Şanlıurfa and Gaziantep alone meet 70 percent of our country's production. We rank 3rd in the world in pistachio production. Furthermore, the demand for pistachios has increased because it has become a much more valuable product in recent years and is a product that brings a smile to the faces of producers and farmers."

Stating that pistachio production, which was 2 thousand tons in the early years of the Republic, approached 150 thousand tons in the early 2010s and exceeded 200 thousand tons after 2020, Şahan continued:

"With the high interest from our farmers, the planting of new saplings, and the establishment of new orchards, a number of pistachio saplings equal to half of our current 60 million pistachio tree population have been planted. This means that as these trees begin to bear fruit, our production will increase by around 50 percent within the next 4-5 years."

THIS YEAR IS A 'BUMPER YEAR'

Reminding that pistachio trees produce a high yield one year and a lower yield the next, Şahan continued:

"Last year was low because we experienced an 'off year'. Despite this, we achieved a production of 176 thousand tons of pistachios. This year is a 'bumper year' for pistachios. When we look at field observations, there is a very good fruit set on the trees. Therefore, we expect a high yield. With this increase, I think we will surpass Iran in the world rankings within a few years. Perhaps we could even reach the first place in the coming years. The yield looks like it will be high this year. There were problems in some orchards due to reasons such as hail in some regions in March and April, and excessive rainfall during the flowering period of the pistachios, which limited pollination. These risks still exist. Once these risks have passed, we will conduct a yield study in July together with our fellow engineers in the region to determine our pistachio production for this year."

Şahan noted that the most important task for farmers during this period is the fertilization, nutrition, irrigation, and spraying of pistachios against certain diseases.

News Source: AA