‘Walnut village’ needs attention

28/09/2022

Manigam village in Anantnag district is coming up as a new belt for superior quality walnuts, which has earned it the name walnut village. The village is about 20 km from the main town in Anantnag District in which almost all the households are dealing with walnuts. Nowadays, people in the village are engaged in harvesting and peeling freshly picked walnuts. Nestled in the mountains, Manigam village is always occupied with the hustle-bustle of the locals dealing with walnuts. Despite the beauty of the area of Manigam seer, the dull faces of the walnut businessmen speak a different tale. As earlier highlighted by your newspaper JOURNEY LINE, the walnut business in the village is hard to sustain as the prices of walnuts have abruptly fallen down while the labour cost has increased alarmingly. Till 2015, they used to get Rs. 1400 per kilo and now we make only Rs. 700-800 per kilo. From collecting to processing and packaging, every activity is hand-based. The workers also brave the consequences and gather walnuts from the trees that are atop the dangerously uneven hills. At least 4 casualties have been reported in the last three weeks in the Anantnag district. This happens while climbing the trees to pluck walnuts.
Kashmir accounts for 80% of India's walnut production. With their superior quality and taste, the Kashmiri walnut is a great source of nutrients and hence was widely in demand across India. There is immense potential for this product to make its place in the local and global markets. But nowadays it is very unfortunate that the department of horticulture is not giving much attention to walnuts because of which it will be left behind. The chopping down of certain species of trees including Walnut, Mulberry and Chinar is a punishable offence under the Preservation of Specified Trees Act 1969, the law is still in force in UT of Jammu and Kashmir, Despite the ban of illegal cutting of walnut trees in UT Jammu and Kashmir, the south Kashmir's Anantnag district is being frequently reported for chopping down of certain species of trees including Walnut trees on a larger level. The authorities have already passed strict orders and a person found involved in cutting walnut trees can end up in jail with a punishment of six months in the lock-up. However, the practice is going unchecked in many rural areas and in many instances, the authorities are turning blind eye, but the administration should need to check and take strong action those involved in cutting walnut trees.

Photo Gallery

BSE Sensex

NSE Nifty