LAHORE:
Although India’s ban on Pachistani pink salt has opened new opportunities for local merchants in other international markets, the true potential of the profitable sector remains unimportant since Pakistan, to date, has not been able to develop an added value system to process and change what many consider the healthiest salt in the world.
A local salt exporter, Muhammad Riaz, revealed that even in the past, governments were advised to export the unique salt of Pakistan with value value, but none took serious measures, while India continued to market the Pakistani salt as their own in all world markets.
“Indian Traders are Currently Obtaining Salt Through Dubai. During the Tenure of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, A proposal Had Been Made for Pakistan to export Salt Directly to Other Countries rather Than allowing India to benefit from it. Emphasizing that Salt Should not be exported as a raw But Material instead Should Be processsed and branded, Enabling Pakistan to Boost Exports and Earn Valuable Foreign Exchange, “Noteed Riaz.
The sources indicate that the ongoing political tensions between Pakistan and India have seriously affected trade, pushing merchants on both sides to adopt new strategies. From November 2023 to October 2024, Pakistan remained an important pink salt exporter.
During this period, 3,789 salt shipments from the Himalayas were exported, marking a 10 percent increase compared to the previous year. In 2023, India had imported 462 metric tons of pink salt from the Himalayas of Pakistan, which increased to 642 metric tons in 2024. However, these numbers are still significantly lower compared to 2018 (74,457 metric tons) and 2019 (72,631 metric tons).
After India imposed a direct prohibition of the importation of Pakistani salt in 2019, trade stopped completely. As a result, India lost access to economic pink salt that used to obtain Pakistan. However, Indian merchants continue to import this salt through other countries, change the brand and sell it under their own labels. Although the volume of commerce has decreased, indirect exports of Pakistani salt to India are still ongoing. For years, India obtained substantial earnings when buying this salt at low prices and selling it for much more.
Previously, India used to receive cheap salt through the Wagah Earth route, but now you have to pay significantly more to acquire it. Since the complete suspension of trade through Wagah after Pahalgam’s incident, relations between the two countries have become increasingly tense. Meanwhile, Indian merchants have begun to import paquistani pink salt through third countries. In this way, Indian companies continue to exchange Pakistani salt through indirect means and profits through the addition of value.
After the pulwama attack in 2019, India imposed a 200 percent tariff on Pakistani goods, which drastically reduced trade. As a result, Pachistani pink exports to India became insignificant. In 2025, a complete ban on salt trade was applied, and now it is expected that even indirect trade through third countries stops.
Due to the pink salt stop of the Pakistani Himalayas, local prices in India have increased. The salt that was previously sold for 45 to 50 Indian rupees per kilogram now has a price of up to 150 Indian rupees per kilogram. Therefore, India is now looking towards countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Iran, Australia and Afghanistan to meet their salt requirements.
Meanwhile, during the first five months of 2025, Pakistan salt exports to China increased by 38 percent. Exporters say that in Punjab, the department of mines and minerals is actively extracting salt from the mines, and salt reserves have leased to the private sector. This has allowed private companies to play a more active role in increasing exports.
“The government needs to stop the export of raw salt and focus on added value products,” Riaz implored.
