<p class="bodytext">Globally surging pistachio prices have had a direct effect on rates in Bengaluru, traders say.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In December 2023, a chocolate bar with a filling of pistachio cream and crunchy kunafa went viral after an influencer posted a video of it on social media. Reports say, the bar was created by a Dubai-based chocolatier named Sarah Hamouda of Fix Dessert Chocolatier. After the chocolate went viral, chocolatiers across the world, including India, introduced similar <br />versions, driving up the popularity of not only pistachio chocolate, but <br />pistachio in general.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though it began gaining in popularity in late 2023, a smaller harvest in the US in 2024, has further driven up prices. The country is one of the biggest exporters of pista in the world. Iran, the other major exporter, also faced shipping challenges due to the conflict with Israel in June.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“With stocks selling out fast, there’s been high demand across the world in the past few months,” shares Rahul Kamat of Bolas, an online retailer of dry fruits.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pistachio is not grown in India and is fully imported from the US and Iran. Iranian pistachio is considered superior in quality and sold under two categories. </p>.Bengaluru experts share tips to test ghee purity.<p class="bodytext">Kamat shares that overall, there has been a 5-7% increase in prices in the last four to five months. Earlier, he was importing it at Rs 900+GST per kilo, and now it is priced at around Rs 975+GST, he says. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Idrees Mohammad Choudhury, president of the Fruits and Dry Fruits Merchant Association, Cantonment, notes that prices shot up during Deepavali and had stabilised in the past few weeks, but they went up again this week. His shop, Delicious Dry Fruits, in Russell Market, sells pistachio to ice cream shops, juice stores and bakeries in bulk. “We are now buying Iranian pista at around Rs 1,380 a kilo, compared to Rs 1,150 earlier, and American pista at around Rs 1,280 a kilo, compared to Rs 1,080 earlier,” he states. He suspects it will continue to surge as demand grows. </p>.<p class="bodytext">A number of other dry fruit stores Metrolife spoke to have increased prices by around Rs 100 to Rs 200, while some, like Ajfan Dates and Nuts, a chain store, have not increased their prices yet. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Pastry shops and dessert parlours too have no plans of hiking prices just yet. “We will watch for a year and raise prices only if the surge continues,” says Sara Calderoni of Milano Ice Cream, which has at least eight outlets across the city. She notes that some of the vendors they work with compromised on quality to keep up with the rates so her team was forced to change vendors. But she believes prices will stabilise soon.</p>
<p class="bodytext">Globally surging pistachio prices have had a direct effect on rates in Bengaluru, traders say.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In December 2023, a chocolate bar with a filling of pistachio cream and crunchy kunafa went viral after an influencer posted a video of it on social media. Reports say, the bar was created by a Dubai-based chocolatier named Sarah Hamouda of Fix Dessert Chocolatier. After the chocolate went viral, chocolatiers across the world, including India, introduced similar <br />versions, driving up the popularity of not only pistachio chocolate, but <br />pistachio in general.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though it began gaining in popularity in late 2023, a smaller harvest in the US in 2024, has further driven up prices. The country is one of the biggest exporters of pista in the world. Iran, the other major exporter, also faced shipping challenges due to the conflict with Israel in June.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“With stocks selling out fast, there’s been high demand across the world in the past few months,” shares Rahul Kamat of Bolas, an online retailer of dry fruits.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Pistachio is not grown in India and is fully imported from the US and Iran. Iranian pistachio is considered superior in quality and sold under two categories. </p>.Bengaluru experts share tips to test ghee purity.<p class="bodytext">Kamat shares that overall, there has been a 5-7% increase in prices in the last four to five months. Earlier, he was importing it at Rs 900+GST per kilo, and now it is priced at around Rs 975+GST, he says. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Idrees Mohammad Choudhury, president of the Fruits and Dry Fruits Merchant Association, Cantonment, notes that prices shot up during Deepavali and had stabilised in the past few weeks, but they went up again this week. His shop, Delicious Dry Fruits, in Russell Market, sells pistachio to ice cream shops, juice stores and bakeries in bulk. “We are now buying Iranian pista at around Rs 1,380 a kilo, compared to Rs 1,150 earlier, and American pista at around Rs 1,280 a kilo, compared to Rs 1,080 earlier,” he states. He suspects it will continue to surge as demand grows. </p>.<p class="bodytext">A number of other dry fruit stores Metrolife spoke to have increased prices by around Rs 100 to Rs 200, while some, like Ajfan Dates and Nuts, a chain store, have not increased their prices yet. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Pastry shops and dessert parlours too have no plans of hiking prices just yet. “We will watch for a year and raise prices only if the surge continues,” says Sara Calderoni of Milano Ice Cream, which has at least eight outlets across the city. She notes that some of the vendors they work with compromised on quality to keep up with the rates so her team was forced to change vendors. But she believes prices will stabilise soon.</p>