Pistachio Growers Gamble on Chinese Demand

California's pistachio growers have planted so many trees over the past few years that the state's production of the nut is expected to more than double, hitting in excess of 1 billion pounds by 2020. The ramped-up production has little to do with any rebound in the U.S. economy. It's a gamble that Chinese consumers' appetite for pistachios will continue to grow. Bolstering that confidence is a belief that China's urban middle class, which has seen its spending power more than double over the past decade, will continue to expand. But it's also been buoyed by geopolitical events. The other two major pistachio-exporting countries, Iran and Syria, have been roiled by sanctions and civil war, reports The Sacramento Bee