After a bumper 2002, the 2003 Californian pistachio volume is below expectations

After a bumper 2002, the 2003 Californian pistachio volume is below expectations

A significant downturn in the forecast volumes of Californian pistachios is leading to an increase in prices and a shortfall for export markets.

In July, the Californian Agricultural Statistics Service reported that the golden state - the world's largets pistachio production region - would harvest around 180 million pounds of pistachios this season. But local producers are now estimating a crop of just 110m pounds, nearly two-thirds down on last season's enormous output of 302.4m pounds of pistachios.

Production of open in-shell nuts, which normally make up around 80 per cent of the crop, has fallen from 241.6m pounds last year to between 70m and 75m pounds this.

Last year's record harvest is one of four reasons being given for the massive discrepancy. California also had a warm winter, lacking the chill factor required by pistachios. The weather was then cold and wet during blossoming and too hot during the nut filling period.

There have been substantial price increases, with raw pistachio values rising from $1.75 per pound last October to $2.45 a pound this month.

Growers are not necessarily reaping the benefits, as most of their crop is sold on a programmed basis, and there is a far higher percentage of less sought after and lower prices closed-shell nuts this season. In-shell nuts represent just 67-68 per cent of this year's crop.