Pistachio is today one of the world’s most promising crops, and the figures confirm it: global market consumption reached 1.3 million tonnes in 2024, valued at 10.3 billion US dollars, and forecasts point to 1.5 million tonnes by 2035. It is a sector in full expansion that, until now, lacked a truly global scientific and professional forum.
Aware of this situation, Agrifood Comunicación will organize the World Pistachio Congress (WPC) in Toledo on 27 and 28 January 2027, an event designed to bring together global experts in the city to analyse the current situation and the challenges facing pistachio cultivation and processing in the coming years.
As part of the promotional activities for this global event, within the initiative “En route to WPC 2027,” a technical conference was held to analyse the opportunities offered by pistachio cultivation in Spain and, especially, in Castilla-La Mancha, under the title “Pistachio, from the field directly to your health.”
The event was inaugurated in the presence of Julián Martínez Lizán, Regional Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Rural Development of the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, and Juan Miguel del Real, President of the WPC Organising Committee.
Martínez Lizán highlighted that “pistachio is much more than a snack” due to its health properties and its wide culinary applications. The region has become Spain’s leading pistachio producer, multiplying its cultivated area by 17 in just 13 years, reaching nearly 70,000 hectares. In 2025, production reached a historic record with 11,000 tonnes of dried pistachios, 30% more than forecast, demonstrating the great potential of a sector in which only around 25% of plantations are currently in production.
For his part, Juan Miguel del Real stressed the importance of continuing to advance the structuring and professionalisation of the pistachio sector, promoting collaboration between producers, industry, researchers and marketers in order to address future challenges. He also underlined the strategic role of events such as this one in fostering knowledge exchange, innovation and the growth of a rapidly expanding crop. In this regard, he highlighted the choice of Toledo as the congress venue, a city that during the event will become the international hub of the sector, bringing together experts, companies and professionals from different countries.
During the event, Ricardo Migueláñez, General Coordinator of the WPC, explained the objectives of the congress, an initiative that could position Castilla-La Mancha at the centre of the international pistachio landscape. He emphasised that the event will bring together all links of the sector’s value chain, fostering knowledge exchange, the creation of international collaboration networks and the development of new opportunities that will contribute to the growth and consolidation of the pistachio sector in Spain.
This was followed by three presentations moderated by Ernesto Tardío, CEO of Solagro. The first was delivered by Esau Martínez Burgos, researcher at IRIAF – CIAG El Chaparrillo, who presented the latest advances in agronomic innovation and the mechanisms for transferring this knowledge to the productive sector.
Martínez Burgos stated that “the development of the pistachio sector in Spain must be based on the effective transfer of scientific knowledge to farmers and field agronomic technicians, enabling data-based decision-making grounded in validated trials.” He also stressed that research carried out in Castilla-La Mancha is contributing to improving varietal adaptation, production efficiency and crop sustainability, outlining some of the current research lines in this field. Finally, he noted that “collaboration between research centres, companies and producers will be key to consolidating the competitiveness of Spanish pistachio in international markets in the coming years.”
Fernanda Frigo, Account Director at Worldpanel by Numerator, highlighted that pistachio has gone from being a niche snack to being present in twelve different categories, reaching 300,000 new households in just five years, with a turnover of 63.6 million euros. A democratisation that, according to the expert, has only just begun.
Ramon Estruch, Senior Consultant at the Internal Medicine Service of Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and one of the world’s leading experts in the Mediterranean diet, closed the event with a presentation on pistachio consumption and health.
During his talk, Estruch emphasised that pistachio, as part of the Mediterranean diet, is much more than a snack: it is a functional food with scientifically proven benefits. Based on data from the PREDIMED study, the largest randomised trial on cardiovascular prevention conducted to date, he highlighted that “regular consumption of nuts such as pistachios improves lipid profiles (increasing HDL cholesterol and reducing LDL cholesterol and triglycerides), reduces vascular inflammation and contributes to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.”
He also noted that, contrary to common consumer fears, nuts do not promote weight gain, as confirmed by a meta-analysis of 34 randomised clinical trials. Finally, Estruch pointed to emerging benefits of pistachios on gut microbiota, telomere length — a marker of cellular ageing — and the immune system, thanks to their richness in carotenoids, polyphenols and vitamin E. “Pistachios should be an important part of any healthy diet,” he concluded.
Registration open
Professionals, companies, researchers, producers, marketers and institutional representatives interested in attending can now register, with a 15% early-bird discount available until 30 September 2026, through the official Congress website: www.worldpistachiocongress.org/inscripcion
Participants will be able to choose between different registration options, including full congress attendance, half congress, student rates, and the possibility of attending the gala dinner held as part of the event.
Promoted by AgriFood Comunicación and supported by the Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha, this congress aspires to become the leading international meeting point for all links in the value chain: producers, processors, marketers, researchers and institutions from the main producing and consuming countries worldwide.
The Congress already has the support of important companies in the sector, such as Solagro and Agroisa as Platinum sponsors, and Grupo IberoPistacho and Agróptimum as Silver sponsors, whose support contributes to the promotion, innovation and growth of the pistachio industry at an international level.
From WPC, we invite everyone to be part of this collaborative international project, encouraging them to explore sponsorship and partnership opportunities. All necessary information is available through the Congress Technical Secretariat (+34 91 721 79 29) or by email at info@worldpistachiocongress.org.
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