The United States and Iran have been vying for the title of No. 1 pistachio producer. California, which grows more than 95 percent of U.S. pistachios, has doubled acreage devoted to the nut in the past decade. Bad weather in Iran also has helped put the U.S. in the top spot in the past couple of years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The ban leaves the domestic market, worth $700 million, almost exclusively to U.S. growers.
