The 2011 ASHS Annual Conference

In the developed and some emergent countries there is an increasing interest in the consumption of innocuous and healthy food. Pistachios are characterized by his high antioxidant power (7800 umol/100g, seize Total-ORAC, Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) and his interesting lipid profile (poly, 14 % and mono, 24 % unsaturated fatty acids) and 17 % fiber. Iran and The United States the most important worldwide producers, trade on a global market 425.000 ton/year for a total value of US$ 1700 millions. This study analyze indicators and models of competitiveness, mainly the matrix of international demand, the commercial relative scale, the index of transability and specialization, as well as the matrix of insertion to the international market. The analysis was conducted for the 2005-2009 period. To estimate the competitiveness among the main pistachios exporting countries, a special international supply Matrix I was devised and applied for  2005 to 2008, that includes the export growth rate and the market share for the most relevant countries (“stars” exporting countries) and those that meet “loose opportunities”. In addition a Matrix II was elaborated with the importing growth rates and the market share of the most important demanding countries; a reference model was elaborated to indicate to which “star” or relevant countries should the marketing efforts be concentrated and which of those should be considered  going down.