Foreign imports spell trouble for Kashmir's walnut industry

Many locals in the Kashmir walnut industry are struggling as the dry fruit business faces immense challenges after India has begun importing the nuts from other countries.

Traders say demand in the world markets was initially high, though now there are virtually no orders- especially from traditionally importing countries in Europe, America and the Gulf. The walnut industry has also found a strong rival in the U.S., which has not only become self-sufficient but also exports the produce at cheaper rates to other nations that were earlier importing from India.

Walnuts harvesting is highly labor intensive, as almost all of the processing is carried manually. Harvesters say that with low returns, the Kashmiri walnuts, though known for superior quality, have caused a severe dwindling in their wages.

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