SRINAGAR: Following the predicament of apples, now walnuts are experiencing heavy losses due to the extensive import of this dry fruit from Afghanistan. Kashmiri walnuts, already under pressure from Californian and Chilean varieties, are now threatened by Afghan walnuts.
President of the Kashmir Walnut Growers Association, Haji Bahadur Khan said that the bulk import of walnuts from Afghanistan to India, facilitated by the free trade agreement, is significantly impacting the domestic walnut industry.
“We are witnessing immense losses due to these imports. There is a free trade agreement between India and Afghanistan due to which walnuts come in large quantities to India. It has invaded our domestic market to a large extent,” he said.
While Khan stated that they will approach the government to safeguard the walnut industry, he noted that many traders in Kashmir have abandoned the walnut business due to diminished demand.
“Rates of walnuts ceased to improve for the last decade. Walnut is not being traded like it used to be in Kashmir a few years ago,” he said.
Khan further mentioned that Californian and Chilean walnuts have equally impacted the market for Kashmir’s produce over the years. “The situation is such that a top-quality walnut kernel sells at Rs 1000 per kilogram. This used to sell at Rs 1200 a decade before when only Kashmiri walnuts ruled Indian markets,” he said.
Providing insight into market trends, Khan stated that low-quality walnuts, comprising 80 percent of those produced in Kashmir, now sell at Rs 150-250 per kilogram. “A low-quality kernel would sell at Rs 300 per kilogram some years before,” he said.
He noted that the rates of walnut kernels have decreased by almost 50 per cent this year. Khan emphasized the importance of introducing new walnut varieties to save the walnut industry of Kashmir.
“We have traditional walnut varieties, which are purely organic. When compared to the walnuts of California and Chile, the quality is too low. So, we appeal to the concerned department to encourage the introduction of new varieties to fight against the invasion by imports,” he said.
Meanwhile, a walnut dealer mentioned that many traders have permanently abandoned this trade due to the lack of returns. “Walnuts, like apples, used to be the main cash crop of Kashmir. A major section of our population used to be associated with this trade. Now rarely, people are associated with walnut trading because of the low market demand,” said Bashir Ahmad Wani, a dealer. (KNO)
