Recognizing that walnuts were being imported into India on a large scale
The first consignment of Kashmiri walnuts was recently flagged off from Budgam in Jammu & Kashmir. A truck carrying 2,000 kgs was despatched to Bengaluru, Karnataka under the One District, One Product (ODOP) Initiative of the Ministry of Commerce & Industry. Kashmir accounts for 90% of India’s walnut production.
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.
This development took place around the same time when ChileNut, the grower and exporter association of Chilean walnuts with the support of ProChile, the institution of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has launched the very first generic promotion campaign in India to introduce the Chilean Walnuts to Indian consumers.