Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Uttarakhand chief minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on Wednesday sought a separate policy for walnut growers in the Himalayan region.
In a letter to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Nishank said there should be a national walnut mission for five years for the entire Himalayan belt.
The walnut cultivation has mostly remained confined to Jammu and Kashmir in India. In other Himalayan states, its cultivation has seen not much growth.
According to a survey, 90 per cent of the total walnut demand in the country is being met by Kashmir only. The total area under walnut is 30,800 hectare and the annual production is 36,000 tonnes in the country.
Walnut and Other Nut Fruit Growers' Association of India (WANGAI), a newly formed body of walnut growers in the country, has also launched efforts to help increase the production and bring high-quality lateral bearing varieties from abroad.
The WANGAI had also held a seminar last year in Almora where it came out with 12-point recommendations, calling for establishing walnut centres of excellence in states like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh.
As part of the strategy, WANGAI has also asked the state government to set up two walnut centres of excellence in the hill state.
Stating that the quality of walnuts in non-Kashmir areas like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh was not of good quality, WANGAI also called for ensuring availability of high-quality lateral bearing varieties of walnut like Chandler, Howard, Lara, Fernor and Franquette, from abroad.
To increase the area under walnut cultivation in cluster mode, it asked walnut-growing states to adopt end-to-end approach involving production, protection, post-harvest management, processing and marketing.
