A Critical Analysis of the Competitiveness of the Iranian Pistachio Industry.

The pistachio industry has played a major role for the Iranian economy being one of the biggest non-oil exports in the country. However, over the past 15 years, this industry has lost competitiveness against American producers in demanding markets for high quality pistachios. This study focuses on the analysis of the international competitiveness of the Iranian pistachio industry. The research opted for an industry-level case study. In-depth interviews were carried with owner directors and managers from 11 firms across different sectors in the Iranian pistachio industry. In addition, further interviews were conducted with government employees, academic professors engaged with the pistachio industry, and Iranian-Americans pistachio producers in California. This research reveals those factors and areas where adjustment needs to be made to prevent a further erosion of the competitive position of Iranian producers against American producers in the international market.