Torbat Heidarieh, Khorassan Province -- Iran's high quality pistachios are exported to 76 countries despite the adverse publicity campaign, said Director General of the Pistachio Affairs Department at the Ministry of Agricultural Jihad Behrouz Gheibi here on Sunday.

Gheibi told IRNA on the sidelines of a Pistachio Festival in the provincial district of Feizabad that 141,000 tons of pistachios were exported last year, marking a record high in the history of Iran's pistachio exports.

He said that in the first four months of the current Iranian year (started March 21) some 47,000 tons of pistachios were exported, indicating an increase of 70 percent compared to the figure for the same period the previous year.

The official rejected the claim that Iranian pistachio is not safe and said the high number of customers bears testimony to its top quality.

He said both private and public sectors in Iran are trying hard to put high quality pistachios on global markets.

He added that a grouping on pistachio affairs has been formed at the Majlis, comprising representatives from different pistachio growing areas of Iran, and the High Pistachio Headquarters had been set up at Presidential Office to help advance the lucrative farming business.

The official said intensive efforts are underway to tackle all problems facing pistachio production in Iran.

Gheibi said pistachio exports earn the country $400,000 a year, constituting 10 percent of non-oil exports' earnings.