The historic Lagama walnut market in north Kashmir’s Uri, dating back to pre-1947, is grappling with challenges such as cheaper imports, a 5% GST burden, and a drop in rates, impacting over 10,000 families.
Ghulam Rasool Kakroo, a weathered walnut trader of Lagama, the oldest walnut market in the remote Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, wears a cloak of concern. At 65, he has witnessed the gradual erosion of Kashmir’s famed walnut trade over the past few years, fearing its imminent collapse.
Opening his shop two months ago to sell walnut kernels, Kakroo bemoans the stark reduction in demand. He attributed the trade’s decline to the influx of imported walnuts. “Akhrot from Afghanistan, California, China, and Chile are being imported into India at lower prices, making it difficult for Kashmiri growers to compete,” he lamented.
Faisal Kakroo echoed his father’s sentiments, citing the burden of a hefty 5% goods and services tax (GST) as a detriment to their business. “We are made to pay a 5% GST while taxes have been lifted on apples, walnuts, and almonds imported from the United States recently. This is unfortunate and an injustice to Kashmir valley’s business community,” Faisal complained.
They contribute taxes on every aspect, from acquiring kernel boxes and packaging to providing fares to vehicle drivers and compensating other workers engaged in the process. “Whatever we earn goes into taxes,” he said.
Trader Awais Ahmad Khawaja noted a significant drop in walnut rates. “A few years ago, this was going for Rs 1,300 a kg, but now the rates have come down to Rs 600 a kg,” he said.
For over a century, Uri has proudly hosted the Lagama market, where India’s finest walnuts have been traded. Located just 4km from the Line of Control (LoC) that divides India and Pakistan, Lagama village on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad road holds a unique position in history, serving as the country’s primary contributor to walnut production.
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Dating back to pre-1947 partition days, Lagama’s walnut market bears witness to a rich historical tapestry. “Then, Uri was part of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)’s Muzaffarabad city. Traders and growers from both sides of the LoC would bring dry fruits, including walnuts, for purchase and sale,” said trader Bashir Ahmad Bhat.
The trade, conducted on horse carts along the Jhelum valley cart road, connected Muzaffarabad’s Kohala to Uri, linking Srinagar and Jammu’s Ramban district.
Despite the historical significance and once-thriving nature of the Lagama market, it now wears a sombre cloak, especially during evening hours. Traders like Jameel Ahmad Budoo has shifted from walnut trading to running a cosmetics shop in Uri town.
“After the abrogation of Article 370, the market is down. I have left this trade to sell cosmetics in the main town. Else, it would have been tough to survive and feed my family,” said Budoo from Garkote village.
Several varieties of walnuts, including snow white, normal white, sharbati, and amber, grace the stalls of Lagama market. While the market once dispatched around 50,000 tonnes of walnuts in a single season, the demand drop has reduced it to a mere 15,000 tonnes.
Kashmir has more than 89,000 hectares of land dedicated to walnut farming. According to official statistics, India produced 2.82 lakh tonnes of walnuts in 2021-2022, with almost 92% of the crop coming from Jammu and Kashmir.
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Budoo underscored the richness of Kashmiri walnuts, highlighting their organic nature, large size, and absence of added chemicals. He shed light on the laborious process of plucking and planting walnuts. “Since Kashmir has long and big walnut trees, it demands considerable time to pluck and grow the walnuts, while foreign countries have hybrid trees and plucking is done in a short period of time,” he said.
Over 10,000 families in Uri depend on the walnut business, with an income per capita that has plummeted from Rs 15-20 lakh to Rs 4-5 lakh due to the decline in demand. Traders raise concerns about the lack of cold storage facilities and seek government support for smoother truck movements on the Srinagar-Jammu national highway, especially in the winter.
“We are forced to keep the kernels in our shops. We request the government to bring a scheme for a cold storage facility,” said Shafqat Aziz, a trader from Salamabad in Uri.
Facing cross-border shelling as a border town, Lagama contends with challenges that have caused interruptions in walnut supply from LoC areas. Mohammad Aamin Chalkoo, president of the Dry Fruits Association Uri, said: “More than 50% of traders and growers have left this work now. The business has gone down. It has also affected the livelihood of the stakeholders, including cab drivers and hoteliers.”
He alleged that the J&K government has never made any serious effort to promote the Kashmiri walnut. Officials countered that Kashmir was unable to increase its walnut production, leading to large imports.
In the face of adversity, the government is now pushing for high-density walnut farms to combat the inflow of imported walnuts. Despite these efforts, the decline of Kashmir’s walnut trade echoes through Lagama, leaving behind whispers of a fading legacy.
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The lead image at the top shows A view of the historical walnut market- Lagama in the Uri area of Baramulla district (Photo by Idrees Bukhtiyar)
