Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, May 17: Amid strained diplomatic ties and the recent Pahalgam attack, commercial trade between India and Pakistan has come to a standstill, resulting in a complete halt of rock salt imports from Pakistan. This move has triggered a sharp rise in the price of rock salt in India, with rates tripling in recent days.
India’s domestic production of rock salt is limited to just 10,000 tonnes annually. Hence, India has long relied on imports from Pakistan, known for its highly pure rock salt—also referred to as Saindhava Lavana—which contains over 84 types of minerals.
Previously, rock salt in India was priced between Rs 50 to 60 per kg. However, following the suspension of imports, the price has surged to Rs 150 per kg. In 2024, India had imported 624 metric tonnes of rock salt from Pakistan. Despite producing around 30 million tonnes of sea salt annually, India still lacks large-scale rock salt production. Efforts are underway to refine sea salt to match the quality of rock salt.
Following the 2016 Uri attack, which claimed the lives of 19 Indian soldiers, and the 2019 Pulwama attack, where 40 CRPF personnel were martyred, India revoked Pakistan’s Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status. In response, a 200% customs duty was imposed on rock salt imports from Pakistan, drastically reducing the volume of imports.
Pakistan’s world-famous Himalayan pink salt, or rock salt, originates from the renowned Khewra salt mines in Punjab. With imports now completely halted, India will need to look towards alternative sources such as the UAE, Malaysia, Iran, Australia, Afghanistan, and other countries to meet its demand.
Annual rock salt imports from Pakistan have varied significantly over the years. In 2015, India imported 2,710 metric tonnes of rock salt from Pakistan. The volume surged in 2016 to 55,642 metric tonnes, followed by 52,900 metric tonnes in 2017, and peaked at 74,457 metric tonnes in 2018. Imports slightly declined to 72,631 metric tonnes in 2019 and further decreased to 60,440 metric tonnes in 2020. However, from 2021 onwards, imports dropped drastically, with only 1,763 metric tonnes in 2021, 1,232 metric tonnes in 2022, 462 metric tonnes in 2023, and 642 metric tonnes in 2024.
Given the current state of near-conflict with Pakistan, there is an urgent need to develop domestic salt mines, explore alternative import sources, and adopt new technologies.