US Pistachio Exports to China Plunge 96%

On March 26, 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service released its Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook: March 2026 report, providing a comprehensive update on production, supply, trade, prices and value in the U.S. pistachio sector.

Exports in 2024/25 Season Declined by 40%

In the 2024/25 season, lower U.S. pistachio production offset the impact of high beginning stocks, resulting in a 20% year-on-year decline in total supply. Exports and ending stocks both decreased during the season, falling by 40% and 24%, respectively.

Domestic availability (shelled basis) declined by only 5%, from a record high of 248 million pounds (112,491 metric tons) in the 2023/24 season to 235 million pounds (106,594 metric tons) in the 2024/25 season. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, grower prices in the 2024/25 season remained largely unchanged from the 2023/24 season, seeing only a slight decrease of 0.5%. However, the combination of stagnant prices and reduced production led to a 27% decline in production value, from $2.8 billion in the 2023/24 season to $2.05 billion in the 2024/25 season.

Record Production Estimated in 2025

U.S. pistachio production in 2025 was estimated at 1.57 billion pounds (712,140 metric tons, in-shell basis) based on crop receipt data from the Administrative Committee for Pistachios. If confirmed, this would mark a record-high crop and the 10th consecutive year that the United States has led global pistachio production. Output in 2025 was 43% higher than in 2024, reflecting the higher yields corresponding to an “on” year.

Beginning stocks for the 2025/26 season were forecast at approximately 139 million pounds (63,049 metric tons, in-shell basis), down 40% from the previous season and the lowest carry-in level since the 2019/20 season.

The combination of higher production and lower beginning stocks was expected to bring total supply for the 2025/26 season to 1.71 billion pounds (775,643 metric tons, in-shell basis). Pistachio inventory at the start of the 2025/26 season (beginning stocks plus production) was 28% higher than in the previous season, an increase of 471 million pounds (213,642 metric tons, in-shell basis), and 2% above the previous record set in the 2023/24 season.

Exports to China Plunge by 96%

In the first five months of the 2025/26 season (September to January), total U.S. in-shell pistachio exports reached 309 million pounds (140,160 metric tons), down 10% compared with the same period of the 2024/25 season.

Exports to the European Union reached a record 101.6 million pounds (46,085 metric tons) during this period, up 29% year on year. Over the past five seasons, the European Union and China have consistently been the primary markets for U.S. in-shell pistachios, together accounting for 46–68% of total exports annually.

Exports to China typically occur earlier in the season. However, shipments in the 2025/26 season have so far fallen by 96%, accounting for only 1% of total U.S. exports. As exports to China declined, Vietnam and Turkey have emerged as the second- and third-largest destinations in the current season, accounting for 19% and 8%, respectively.

From September 2025 to January 2026, the total export value of U.S. in-shell pistachios amounted to $1.14 billion, down 1% from the previous season.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.