First consignment of Kashmiri walnuts leaves for Karnataka

Budgam, Oct 4: Karnataka is all set to get the taste of Kashmiri walnut. In a huge boost to the agriculture sector in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the first consignment of Kashmiri walnuts was recently flagged off from Budgam, a release issued by the ministry of commerce and industry said on Monday.

 

 

A truck carrying 2,000 kgs of walnuts was despatched to Bengaluru, Karnataka under the One District, One Product (ODOP) initiative of the ministry. It should be noted that Kashmir accounts for 90% of India’s walnut production. With their superior quality and taste, the Kashmiri walnuts are a great source of nutrients and hence widely in demand across the globe. There is immense potential for this product to make its place in the local and global markets.

 

 

The successful facilitation of trade was marked with a flag-off by Additional Secretary, Ms. Sumita Dawra, DPIIT on September 26 that was organised in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO).

 

Recognizing that walnuts were being imported into India on a large scale despite the availability of Kashmir walnuts, the 'ODOP' team began an in-depth market analysis and stakeholder consultations in Kashmir. Further, importers of walnuts in India were contacted and through dedicated handholding at both ends, the ODOP team was able to facilitate the procurement.

 

 

Such efforts also give a boost to the AatmaNirbhar Bharat campaign as, for instance, in this case, the Bangalore-based importer, who was previously sourcing walnuts from the US, is now able to distribute quality walnuts at a fraction of the import cost.