Why Are Pistachios So Expensive? Easily Explained

Pistachios – that’s why the small stone fruits are so expensive

Just like peanuts or cashew nuts, pistachios are not considered nuts from a botanical point of view. The pistachio trees are counted among the sumac plants.

• One reason for the high price of stone fruits is the fact that pistachio trees have to grow for about seven years before they produce their first fruits. However, you need a pair for this, with only the female pistachio tree later bearing fruit. Furthermore, the trees only bear significant fruit every two years.
• Harvesting the pistachios is also relatively time-consuming, as the stone fruits are quickly attacked by aflatoxin and mold. It is usually harvested in September, although the harvest time is very short. The pistachios, which grow in clusters of up to 25 fruits, have to be picked from the trees within about three weeks.
• In some areas, such as Iran, the drupes are laboriously picked from the trees by pickers. Elsewhere, machines are used to shake the trees and collect the fruit in special devices. After harvesting, the pistachios first have to be dried.
• The harvest and the processing of the stone fruits are quite complex and this is reflected in the price. So if you come across particularly cheap pistachios somewhere, you should be careful before you buy them. These drupes often have a high level of aflatoxin contamination. The molds are suspected of causing cancer.