A pinch of pink salt in India-Pak trade

Karachi: The trade ban imposed by New Delhi after the Pahalgam terror attack put brakes on the export of Himalayan Pink Salt from Pakistan to India, but has also provided local traders an opportunity to explore new markets.

Pakistan is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of Himalayan Pink Salt. The Khewra pink salt mines in Punjab province is the largest mine in the country and has 30 processing units.

In 2024, Pakistan’s total pink salt exports stood at 3,50,000 tonnes estimated to be worth USD 120 million.

After the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, India took a series of measures, including immediate shutting down of the Attari land-transit post, used for movement of certain kinds of goods.

In retaliation, Pakistan too announced that “all trade with India, including to and from any third country through Pakistan, is suspended forthwith.” The trade ban hit the exporters of Himalayan Pink Salt, which is in high demand on the other side of the border. “India has been one of the biggest importers of Himalayan pink salt from Pakistan. The ban has meant zero exports to that country,” Mansoor Ahmed, a senior director in Ghani International, one of the top exporters of pink salt and related products, said.

“For years, Indian importers imported raw Himalayan pink salt from Pakistan and then it was refined, packaged and marketed/exported to other countries as a finished Indian product at higher prices,” Mansoor claimed.

That is why India was ranked among the top three exporters of salt with Pakistan and China, he said, adding, “It is only Pakistan, not India or China that produces Himalayan Pink Salt.” However, Pakistan’s top exporters of pink salt are not alarmed by the ban as it also offers a silver lining for them.

Saima Akhtar, chairperson of the Pakistan Salt Manufacturers Association (SMAP) said that Pakistan’s Himalayan pink salt is already in huge demand globally due to its perceived health benefits and culinary uses.

“When we exported it to India, the salt was sold in the Indian retail market for INR 45 to 50 per kg. But now apparently, it is being sold as high as INR 70 to 80 per kg,” she said.

As per the SMAP data, 3,789 shipments of Himalayan Salt were exported by Pakistan from November 2023 to October 2024 marking a growth rate of 10 per cent compared to the preceding 12 months.

The India-Pakistan trade relations had already soured after the Pulwama terror attack, following which India raised the import duty to 200 per cent on all goods imported from Pakistan.

Saima said while India was an attractive market for Pakistani exporters, the heavy tariffs meant feasibility of businesses went down for exporters and importers both.

Since 2019, when relations hit a low between the two countries, trade has suffered, she pointed out.

“The available figures we have shows that bilateral trade fell to USD 1.2 billion in 2024 from a peak of nearly USD 3 billion in 2018,” she added.

Ehsan Malik, CEO of Pakistan Business Council said that Pakistan imported fruits, vegetables, pharmaceuticals, organic chemicals and sugar from India.

“Bottom line is our imports have been higher than our exports to India and Pink Salt has been our main export.” He quoted India's Ministry of Commerce and Industry India's data to say that exports to Pakistan in April 2024 – March 2025 were estimated to be around USD 600 million, while imports were a meagre USD 0.42 million.

Malik, however, noted that these were all official figures which ballooned if one took into account the unofficial trade between the two countries.

He noted that substantial volumes of Indian goods reach Pakistan through unofficial channels, often via third countries, bypassing formal trade restrictions and vice versa.

Shehzad Javed, CEO of Ittefaq Companies, one of the key producers and exporters of Himalayan Pink Salt, said that Pakistani pink salt exports to China had increased in the first quarter of 2025.

Around 13.64 million kilograms of salt worth USD 1.83 million was exported to China, a 40 per cent increase from the same period in 2024, Javed said.

“We are now pursuing increased exports to USA, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Australia, Turkey, Netherlands, Italy, UK, Germany, Brazil, UAE, Japan, Singapore, Chile, South Africa, Russia, which are major importers of pink salt,” he said.

SMAP official Ismail Sattur claimed that in the past because of issues with EU permissions for their markets, Pakistani pink salt was widely imported from India to the European market as an Indian product.

He explained after the Pakistan government implemented the Geographical Indications Act of Pakistan in 2020, it’s now tagged as a GI of Pakistan. However, the process to get it registered as a Pakistani product in international markets is ongoing.

“The current position is we are in process of getting a Geographical Indication (GI) tag that will confirm the salt's authenticity as a Pakistani product,” Sattur said.

“Once this is done, the salt's origin and specific qualities are recognised and protected and will help Pakistani exporters in its trade in the EU market,” he added.