In Sallar, a village in the Anantnag district of Kashmir, the walnut harvest season is underway. Families gather in orchards to knock down the fruit using long sticks, continuing a practice that has been part of the region's agricultural cycle for generations.
"Kashmiri walnut has no match," says Younis Ahmad, a farmer from Sallar. "It is the finest in taste and oil content, and the world knows it."
Kashmir accounts for more than 95 per cent of India's walnut production. Its main varieties, Wonth, Kaghazi, and Barzul, are valued for their flavour, texture, and organic cultivation methods. Walnuts remain a staple in local diets and cultural practices, appearing in wedding feasts and household use throughout winter.
Despite this heritage, growers cite structural constraints. Unlike apples, which have dedicated mandis and organised support systems, walnuts lack a formal marketplace in Kashmir. Farmers transport their produce to Jammu to access buyers, a cost that reduces margins. "A fruit as special as this should have its own mandis, processing plants, and markets in the Valley," says Bashir Khan, a grower from Anantnag.
Harvesting is still carried out manually. Climbers use willow poles to knock walnuts from trees reaching up to 30–40 metres. The nuts are then de-husked, washed, and dried in the open before cracking and sorting by hand.
At the market level, Kashmiri walnuts face competition from cheaper imports originating from California, Chile, and China, which are often sold at nearly half the price. Although local walnuts have higher oil content, they are disadvantaged by the absence of modern packaging, grading, and branding. Farmers also point out that their produce is naturally grown without chemical fertilisers, but has not been positioned in the organic category.
Despite these issues, growers continue to highlight the crop's importance. "We are the custodians of a treasure," says Jan Mohammad, a farmer from Budgam. "Every walnut kernel carries the soil, the streams, and the autumn air of Kashmir. If we get the right support, mandis, processing, and branding, the world will once again recognise our walnuts for what they truly are: the finest."
For now, walnut production in Kashmir remains caught between tradition and global competition. While the harvest continues across orchards in Anantnag, Kupwara, and Budgam, growers emphasise the need for investment in processing, marketing, and trade infrastructure to ensure competitiveness against imports.
Source: The Kashmiriyat