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Food and farm goods

Import walnuts

100% basic duty, FSSAI and plant quarantine at the port. In-shell walnuts come mostly from Chile; kernels from Afghanistan.

Free to importHS 0802.31 / 0802.32
Basic customs duty
100%
100%
Social welfare surcharge
10% of BCD
IGST
5%
5%
India’s imports, 2025-26
US$ 173 mn
from 12 countries

In-shell walnuts (0802 31 00) carried a 120% tariff rate, cut to an effective 100% by S. No. 26 of notification 45/2025-Customs; the Finance Bill 2026 made 100% the tariff rate from 1 May 2026 and that S. No. was then omitted. Shelled walnuts (0802 32 00) have a 100% tariff rate. There is no AIDC entry for walnuts in 11/2021-Customs as first issued. Afghanistan-origin goods may get a preferential rate under SAFTA with a valid certificate of origin — check the rate for your origin on ICEGATE. IGST on dried nuts, including walnuts, is 5% (Schedule I, notification 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)). CBIC — Notification 45/2025-Customs (effective duty rates), 24 Oct 2025, as amended ↗

What is imported

India grows walnuts in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, but imports fill the gap, mainly before the festive season. In FY 2025-26 in-shell walnut imports were about US$ 136 million (Chile 56%, USA 19%, Afghanistan 14%) and kernel imports about US$ 37 million (Afghanistan 71%), as per TradeStat. Buyers are dry-fruit wholesalers, bakeries and sweet makers.

Import policy · Free to import

Free under ITC(HS) Schedule 1, subject to FSSAI import clearance and plant quarantine release at the port.

Licences and registrations you need

  • FSSAICentral licence for food importers (FoSCoS), then a No Objection Certificate for each consignment through FICS at the port.fics.fssai.gov.in ↗
  • Plant Quarantine (PPQS)Import permit where the Plant Quarantine Order, 2003 requires one, plus inspection and release at the port. Apply on PQMS before shipment.pqms.cgg.gov.in ↗
  • Legal Metrology (Consumer Affairs)Importer registration under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules if you import or sell retail packs.consumeraffairs.nic.in ↗

What is checked at the port

  • FSSAI sampling for aflatoxin, moisture, rancidity and insect damage before the NOC is issued.
  • Plant quarantine inspection against the phytosanitary certificate from the exporting country.
  • Customs checks whether goods are in shell or shelled, and the certificate of origin if you claim a preferential rate.

Practical tips

  • Fix the crop year, size (mm), kernel colour grade (for example extra light) and broken percentage in the contract.
  • New-crop Chilean walnuts are harvested around March–April; plan arrivals before Diwali demand.
  • Ask for a recent aflatoxin report from an accredited lab for the same lot.

Where new importers go wrong

  • Claiming a SAFTA rate on goods that only passed through Afghanistan or the UAE — origin is where the nut was grown.
  • Old-crop kernels that turn rancid in summer storage and fail FSSAI tests or buyer checks.
Sources (10)
  1. CBIC — Notification 45/2025-Customs (effective duty rates), 24 Oct 2025, as amended
  2. Notification 2/2026-Customs (Budget amendments to 45/2025-Customs), 1 Feb 2026
  3. Finance Bill 2026 — Fifth Schedule (tariff rates from 1 May 2026)
  4. CBIC — Customs Tariff of India (as on 30.06.2025)
  5. Notification 11/2021-Customs — Agriculture Infrastructure and Development Cess (as first issued)
  6. CBIC — Notification 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate), 17 Sep 2025 (IGST rates from 22 Sep 2025)
  7. FSSAI — Food Import Clearance System (FICS)
  8. Plant Quarantine Management System (PQMS)
  9. Commerce Ministry TradeStat — commodity-wise imports by country (FY 2025-26)
  10. ICEGATE — Customs duty and tariff look-up

Import data

Where India buys walnuts

India’s imports from the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, financial years.

Imports, 2025-26
US$ 173 mn
Change from 2024-25
+43.8%
Supplying countries
12
Biggest supplier
Chile
44%
Chile: US$ 75.9 mnUnited States of America: US$ 26.5 mnUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 16.4 mnIran: US$ 7.2 mnVietnam: US$ 1.2 mnTürkiye: US$ 370kOman: US$ 140kAustralia: US$ 130kHong Kong: US$ 100kIndonesia: US$ 80kChina: US$ 20kChile: US$ 75.9 mnChileUnited States of America: US$ 26.5 mnUnited States of AmericaUnited Arab Emirates: US$ 16.4 mnUnited Arab EmiratesIran: US$ 7.2 mnVietnam: US$ 1.2 mnVietnamTürkiye: US$ 370kTürkiyeOman: US$ 140kAustralia: US$ 130kAustraliaHong Kong: US$ 100kIndonesia: US$ 80kChina: US$ 20kIndia
Where India imports walnuts from — among our 80 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 90.4 mn902020-212021-22: US$ 63.7 mn642021-222022-23: US$ 63.3 mn632022-232023-24: US$ 102 mn1022023-242024-25: US$ 120 mn1202024-252025-26: US$ 173 mn1732025-26
India’s walnuts imports · US$ million

Biggest supplying countries

Name2025-26Change
1ChileUS$ 75.9 mn+36.9%
2AfghanistanUS$ 44.9 mn+127.1%
3United States of AmericaUS$ 26.5 mn-5.7%
4United Arab EmiratesUS$ 16.4 mn+923.7%
5IranUS$ 7.2 mn-43.7%
6VietnamUS$ 1.2 mn—
7TürkiyeUS$ 370k—
8OmanUS$ 140k—
9AustraliaUS$ 130k-94.9%
10Hong KongUS$ 100k—
11IndonesiaUS$ 80k—
12ChinaUS$ 20k-60%

Which sources are growing and shrinking

Growing sources

  1. United Arab EmiratesUS$ 1.6 mn → US$ 16.4 mn+923.7%
  2. AfghanistanUS$ 19.8 mn → US$ 44.9 mn+127.1%
  3. ChileUS$ 55.5 mn → US$ 75.9 mn+36.9%

Shrinking sources

  1. AustraliaUS$ 2.6 mn → US$ 130k-94.9%
  2. IranUS$ 12.7 mn → US$ 7.2 mn-43.7%

Which forms come in, and at what price

Imports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity.

Tariff lineValue 2025-26ChangeQuantityAverage price
Walnuts frsh or dried in shell0802 31 00US$ 136 mn+54%50,979 tonnesUS$ 2.67 per kg
Shelled walnuts frsh or dried0802 32 00US$ 36.9 mn+15.6%6,053 tonnesUS$ 6.10 per kg

Source: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

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