The first consignment of Kashmiri walnuts was recently flagged off from Budgam in the valley by truck to Bengaluru in Karnataka under the Centre’s One District, One Product (ODOP) Initiative, according to information provided by the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The first truck carrying 2,000 kg of walnuts was flagged off by the officials of the Centre and the Kashmir government and the price of the walnuts is just a fraction of the cost of the imported walnuts that the Bengaluru company was selling to local consumers.
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.
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, the official statement said.
On the sidelines of the flag off event, a roundtable conference was organised in Budgam wherein inputs were sought from industry representatives. The government’s consultations with horticulturists and trade representatives concluded that the way forward includes domestic and international marketing through Buyer-Seller Meets, e-commerce onboarding of more agricultural and handicraft/handloom products as well as creating product/scheme awareness for products from each district which will be supported by the ODOP initiative under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
