Diwali Mubarak! Kashmiri dry fruit sellers make merry as sales hit new high

Srinagar: Ahead of Diwali, Kashmir is experiencing a significant uptick in the sale of dry fruits.

From Kashmiri almonds to cashews, cranberries, pistachios, and other dry fruit varieties, sales have picked up for the last two weeks.

Dry fruit sellers said Diwali has also been a lucrative festival given the tradition among Hindus to gift dry fruits to friends and families.

What has spiked the sales this year is the enormous rush of tourists in Kashmir during the festive season.

“Currently the demand is on the higher side. Dry fruit sellers receive a good number of customers currently mostly tourists, who buy dry fruit before heading home,” said Noor Din Azad, a wholesale dry fruit seller.

He said the demand could go even higher in the remaining days till the festival of lights.  “Every tourist visiting the valley buys at least 2-4 kilograms of dry fruits. Right now the price is also very favorable,” he said.

The dry fruit sellers were one of the major sufferers during the Covid-19  and Afghanistan conflict.

With the rush of tourists increasing for the last two years, they also have bounced back.

Amin Bin Khaliq, another dry fruit seller from Srinagar said that the sale of dry fruits apart from local walnuts was satisfactory.

“Sales are good, especially on the eve of Diwali. But we can’t say that the dry fruit industry in Kashmir is booming right now. On Diwali, various varieties of dry fruit sell, which include mostly almonds and walnuts,” he said.

 Khaliq, however, said the market for local walnuts has almost diminished due to the invasion by Californian and Chile walnuts.

“Earlier our walnuts would sell like hot cakes during Diwali. Now,  Californian and Chile walnuts are mostly preferred by customers across India. The reason is that Californian walnuts have a better quality if compared with that of Kashmiri walnuts,” he said.

 He said this year walnut crop in Kashmir has been hit by diseases, which has further affected its market.

In addition to the traditional Diwali market, e-commerce platforms are also playing a significant role in boosting the dry fruit trade in Kashmir. Online sales of dry fruits have gained momentum, enabling customers from across India to access these high-quality products easily.