Relief to Kashmir's walnut industry due to closure of Wagah-Attari border

29-May-2025 05:33 PM

Srinagar. Walnut producers and traders in Jammu and Kashmir are experiencing significant relief following the complete suspension of trade between India and Pakistan.

On May 2, the Indian government closed the Wagah-Attari trade route and announced a total ban on all imports from Pakistan.

This move has directly impacted the dry fruits business, particularly halting the flow of walnuts from Afghanistan that previously entered India via Pakistan. While cross-border trade has suffered, the walnut industry in the Kashmir Valley is benefiting from the shift.

According to the President of the Kashmir Walnut Growers Association, the Indian market was earlier flooded with Afghan walnuts, which were cheaper and forced domestic producers to lower their prices.

With imports from Afghanistan now stopped, demand for Kashmiri walnuts has surged in the domestic market, resulting in a price increase of 15–20 percent over the past 20–25 days. For years, the association has urged the government to regulate walnut imports, but no action had been taken until now.

In 2023, India became the largest importer of Afghan walnuts, bringing in 1,900,960 kilograms worth approximately $9.59 million.

Despite the strong production of walnuts in the Kashmir Valley, heavy imports of low-cost foreign walnuts had made it difficult for local growers to secure competitive prices. India also imports walnuts from countries like the United States (California), China, Afghanistan, and Chile.

The area under walnut cultivation in India was 47,000 hectares in 2017–18, which declined slightly to 46,200 hectares by 2021–22.

Exports of Kashmiri walnuts have also been decreasing in recent years. Jammu and Kashmir account for 90 percent of walnut production in the country, and the crop is traditionally grown using organic methods.