The pistachio, a crop that resurfaces despite the drought: "The hectares have doubled in 3 or 4 years in Spain"

Pistachio Kernel

Raw Pistachio

Spain

Published Oct 20, 2022

Tridge summary

Pistachios are one of the most consumed nuts in our Mediterranean diet. The surface area for pistachio cultivation "has doubled in a matter of 3 or 4 years in Spain", as confirmed by Luis Antonio, a farmer in a family business dedicated to pistachio cultivation in Tembleque (Toledo). Given this growing trend, Luis Antonio has explained the operation and development of this sector.

Original content

First of all, it should be noted that areas such as Syria, Iran, Turkey, Cyprus and Greece are where large productions of pistachios are harvested. However, the Romans already spread this crop in the Mediterranean areas, so it is not the first time that it has been cultivated in Spain. But some factor "such as a period of continuous rains or the presence of a fungus" caused these crops to disappear in our country. Luis Antonio opted for pistachio cultivation in 2003 "because it was new, there was demand and we saw that it was possible to grow it here," he explains. The "El Chaparrillo" Agro-environmental Research Center was in charge of carrying out the propagation of this crop on several farms, especially in the area of Castilla La Manchas in provinces such as Cuenca or Ciudad Real. So, the first farmers who opted for the pistachio as one more crop were considered "adventurous", explains Luis Antonio. However, "currently this is considered another crop within agriculture, such as ...

Source: Cope