Farmers in southeastern Türkiye report a sharp decline in Antep pistachio production, with yields expected to fall by nearly 80% due to drought and agricultural frost. Producers in Gaziantep anticipate only about 25,000 tons this year, according to Cuma Yiğit, head of the Gaziantep Agricultural Chambers' Provincial Coordination Board.
Harvesting, which began in early August and continues through September, is carried out under high temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius. Workers collect pistachios by hand, gathering them on tarps before packing them into sacks and sending them to processing facilities.
Yiğit explained that 2025 was already an "off year" in the pistachio cycle, when trees naturally yield less, but frost and drought have further reduced production. "The cold damaged the trees, and where such frost struck, productivity will not return for three years," he said.
In 2024, a high-yield year, Gaziantep recorded 118,000 tons of pistachios. This season's output is expected to reach only about one-fifth of that volume.
Prices have risen in response to the shortage. Red pistachios are sold at 650 Turkish liras (US$15.75) per kilogram, while fresh red pistachios are priced around 430 liras (US$10.40) per kilogram. Despite higher prices, growers face difficulty covering labor expenses. "If frost had not struck, we would have matched last year's harvest," Yiğit said, adding that the shortage has lifted prices without improving profitability for producers.
Source: Hürriyet Daily News