Expansion of pistachio cultivation in the Iberian Peninsula: keys to the future

Only 15 years ago pistachio was an almost unknown crop in Spain and Portugal. However, nowadays pistachio production has become a benchmark in terms of profitability of agricultural products. Currently the cultivated area is larger than 15,000 ha and the growth rate is over 40% year-1. The reasons for this are: firstly, the good prices at the point of origin, (with a continuous growth during the last 6 years), and secondly, because of the good adaptation of pistachio tree to the agroclimatic conditions in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula. As well, these conditions have favored the production of organic pistachio, which has a very important demand and a high difference with the conventional pistachio price (> € 2 kg-1). “El Chaparrillo”, an Agro-Environmental Research Center (CAC) has led this change, thanks to the research, experimentation and agricultural outreach done by it. Particularly relevant for the spreading of technical knowledge are two governmental initiatives; the first one is the virtual community for professionals involved in pistachio production, which includes news and events from sector and a public forum to solve technical questions. And the other is the operational group for the sustainable production of quality pistachio, included in the European Association for Innovation in Productivity and Agricultural Sustainability, (EAI-AGRI), with EU financial support.