Kashmir’s walnut is struggling to survive due to the intrusion of Californian walnut breeds into Indian markets, diminishing the value of Kashmir valley’s native walnuts. At one point, Kashmir was ranked as the second-largest producer of walnuts in the world. Now, walnuts from California, China (the world’s largest producer), Chile, the Netherlands, and Turkey are currently flooding the Indian market.
The Kashmiri walnut business has been severely affected by the lack of scientific intervention and intense competition from cheap imported varieties, leading growers to look for alternate crops like apple orchards to earn their livelihood. Another reason which made walnut growers of Kashmir worried is climate change, population expansion, and the imposition of GST and VAT.
This means that Kashmir’s walnut industry has suffered a lot over the past few years. Growers directly associated with the organic crop lamented that both rates as well as the market have shrunk. Kashmiri walnuts are sometimes being sold at throw-away prices by the farmers
Source: jknewsline.com