First Shipment of Kashmiri Walnuts is on its Way to Karnataka

Karnataka is about to have a taste of Kashmiri walnut. The first shipment of Kashmiri walnuts has been flagged off from Budgam, according to a release issued by the ministry of commerce and industry on Monday.

Under the ministry's One District, One Product (ODOP) initiative, a truck carrying 2,000 kg of walnuts was dispatched to Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Kashmir produces 90 percent of India's walnuts. With their superior quality and flavour, Kashmiri walnuts are a wonderful source of nutrients and hence in high demand across the world. This product has enormous potential in both the local and worldwide markets.

Recognizing that despite the availability of Kashmir walnuts, walnuts were being imported into India on a huge scale, the 'ODOP' team began an in-depth market research and stakeholder consultations in Kashmir. Furthermore, walnut importers in India were contacted, and the ODOP team was able to smooth the procurement through devoted handholding on both the ends.

Such efforts also boost the Atma Nirbhar Bharat campaign since, in this case, the Bangalore-based importer, who was previously sourcing walnuts from the United States, is now able to distribute excellent walnuts for a fraction of the import cost, according to the release.

A roundtable discussion was held in Budgam on the sidelines of the flag-off event wherein inputs were sought from from industry representatives. Regional Director PHDCCI, Iqbal Fayaz Jan, Baldev Singh, Himayun Wani, Bilal Ahmad Kawoosa, President KCCI, Sheikh Ashiq, Farooq Amin, and President FCIK, Shahid Kamili offered their perspectives and experiences on the trade and export ecosystem in Kashmir.

Horticulturists and trade representatives recommended that the next steps be domestic and international marketing through Buyer-Seller Meets, e-commerce on-boarding of more agricultural and handicraft/handloom products, and creating product/scheme awareness for products from each district, which will be supported by the ODOP initiative under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.