World Day

Pistachio Day, consumption in Italia runs but 88% comes from abroad

From domestic consumption of the shelled and roasted variety (worth 120 million in Italia alone) to that in artisanal sweets and industrial products (spreads and snacks in the lead), the world market is worth USD 5.5 billion and growing by 5% per year

by Manuela Soressi

26 February 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Consumption at full throttle, demand from processors accelerating, supply with the handbrake pulled: the 2026 edition of Pistachio Day, celebrated today 26 February, captures a particularly dynamic global market. For some years now, pistachio has been one of the agricultural commodities with the greatest boom in demand and forecasts indicate that this is only the beginning.

According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the global pistachio market will grow from the current $5.49 billion (€4.6 billion) to $7.02 billion by 2031, with a CAGR of 5%. Several factors are driving this worldwide growth: the strong demand for plant-based proteins and plant-based products, the rise of snacks and bars in the healthy world and sports nutrition, and the success of pistachios in the confectionary world, where they are increasingly used in a wide variety of preparations. That pistachio agrees with everyone and everywhere is confirmed by the case of the Dubai Chocolate, which has conquered half the world, from North America (first market by value) to the Asia-Pacific region, the fastest growing area in terms of demand for pistachios, especially in China and India.

These global trends have not only driven the demand for pistachios but also moved it to the premium end of the market. Organic, flavoured and single-origin productions are experiencing an increase in demand and are achieving significant price premiums above the already substantial ones for the standard product, which has seen its prices rise by an average of 30-35% in one year (source: Areté).

Change production geography

No wonder, then, that pistachio cultivation has attracted the interest of so many producers, leading to an increase in the area cultivated especially in semi-arid areas, such as Argentina and Australia.

In 2025 unforeseen frosts reduced the harvest in Turkey by 70% and penalised the harvest in Iran, putting two of the world's largest producers in difficulty. By contrast, the undisputed leader, the United States (and California in particular), is benefiting from a very abundant harvest (+44% compared to the previous campaign) and 75% of which is destined for export. But, in defiance of the law of the market, instead of falling, prices are rising in double figures and continue to touch new records, having exceeded USD 9,000 per tonne.

The reason for this is that US operators are showing a great deal of caution in their deliveries to customers, favouring historical customers and those with long-term contracts, as they want to increase stock levels in view of the discharge campaign expected this year. A complicated scenario that has also had repercussions on the Italia market, which is heavily dependent on imports.

Italy depends on imports

With its 4 thousand tons of 2024 harvest, the made-in-Italy pistachio represents only 1% of the national production of dried fruit and covers barely 12% of the national demand, Ismea estimates. Italy's typical products are niches of excellence: in 2024, the green pistachio from Bronte Dop harvested 341 tons for an original turnover of 5.7 million euros while that from Raffadali Dop stopped at 180 tons.

Instead, imports were eight times greater (32 thousand tonnes) and over half came from the United States, followed by Spain and Iran, Istat data reveal. The trade balance is worsening, year on year, especially for shelled pistachios (+50% between 2023 and 2024) driven by a national demand in strong expansion, especially for the needs of the Italian industry that uses pistachios in many traditional products (pastry above all) then exported all over the world. The sector has the wind in its sails and attractsthe interest of many investors. In the last few months alone there has been the entry of Nextalia into Di Sano and DiGel, active in pistachios for the artisan and industrial channels, and the acquisition by Wise Equity (through the Wisequity VI fund), of the majority of the share capital of Marullo, a Sicilian company active in the production of pistachio-based ingredients and semi-finished products for ice-cream and pastry making.

Home consumption on the rise

But domestic consumption also plays a role. At the retail level, more than 5 thousand tonnes of pistachios are sold annually for more than EUR 120 million (source: Niq). The bulk is made up of shell pistachios, of which in 2025 Italians increased volumes by 7% and spent 5.4% more than the previous year, says Ismea. But the pistachios market is also made up of themore than 730 products sold in large-scale distribution that use them as ingredients (such as biscuits, chocolate and spreadable creams) and whose turnover has grown by 5.5% in 12 months, notes the Gos1 Italy's Immagino Observatory.