Walnuts of death: 5 dead, dozens crippled for life during harvest

Srinagar, Oct 1: In Kashmir, the walnut harvest season is a time of profit for merchants, but a season of peril for the poor labourers who climb towering walnut trees without safety gear.

In 2025 alone, five men have died, dozens have been crippled with spinal injuries, and hundreds more have been treated for fractures and broken limbs across hospitals in Kashmir.

On September 16, Mukhtar Ahmad Gojar, 25, of Hardimir Mir village in Tral, kissed his two toddlers goodbye before climbing a walnut tree in nearby Branpathri village.

By evening, his body was brought home.

“I don't know who will take care of my kids now,” said his widow, holding their one and two-year-old children. “We married only four years back. He was everything for us.”

Mukhtar earned Rs 1000 to 1500 for every eight large bags of walnuts he harvested.

His father, Abdul Rashid Gojar, said, “The businessman earns well, but it is always the labourer’s life on the line. My son worked hard, yet his life was not valued.”

On September 1, Mansoor Ahmad Matoo, 32, of Kewa village, Qazigund, fell from a walnut tree.

He left behind a 14-year-old son, a wife eight months pregnant, and elderly parents.

“We live in abject poverty,” said Mansoor’s father, Ali Muhammad Yatoo. “We have no cultivable land. Years ago, the government provided only an AAY shed under MGNREGA. Mansoor was our only source of income. Now, everything has collapsed.”

Other fatalities this season include Muhammad Rafiq, 50, of Achabal, Anantnag, who died on September 7, Bashir Hussain Baniya of Shopian, who died on September 13, and Muhammad Akbar Mir, 60, of Kupwara, who died on September 15. Plucking walnuts requires climbing 20 to 30-foot trees with slippery bark, balancing precariously while striking branches with sticks called laanz.

Labourers rarely use helmets, harnesses, or nets.

“People think this is simple work,” said Farooq Ahmad, Chairperson of Help Poor Voluntary Trust. “But one slip, and the injuries are catastrophic. These men risk their lives because they have no alternative livelihood.”

A study of the Bone and Joint Hospital, Srinagar, ‘Walnut tree falls as a cause of musculoskeletal injury – a study from a tertiary care center in Kashmir’ by Dr Asif Nazir Baba et al confirms that head injuries can be fatal, spinal injuries cause lifelong paralysis, and broken limbs lead to long-term dependence. In Lankreshipora, Bandipora, Noor Muhammad, 38, died earlier this year after a walnut branch struck him. His elder son, Umar, 17, said, “Our father left behind five children and my mother. He worked every day to provide for us. Now we are struggling to survive. Our relatives support us, but life has changed forever.”

A neighbour, Farooq Ahmad Reshi, said, “He lived in abject poverty. He had recently built a small house, but now his family depends on others. He was a hardworking man, and his death leaves a void impossible to fill.”

Dozens of patients with spinal injuries, fractures, and head trauma are treated every year in Kashmir’s hospitals.

Doctors say spinal injuries often render labourers bedridden for life, while broken limbs require prolonged care.

“Most victims are young men, the sole earners for their families,” said Dr Asif Nazir Baba, professor of orthopedics. “The burden on hospitals is tremendous, and these injuries are largely preventable.” Jammu and Kashmir produces 2.66 lakh metric tonnes of walnuts on 89,000 hectares, making up 98 percent of India’s total production. Yet safety measures are often ignored. Authorities and voluntary trusts recommend helmets, harnesses, nets, and non-slip boots; mechanical harvesters to reduce risk; mapping and controlled removal of high-risk trees; and pre-season training and awareness programmes.

“Revenue and law enforcement agencies must ensure labourers are fully protected before they climb,” said Farooq Ahmad of Help Poor Voluntary Trust. “No one should be allowed to risk life for a bag of walnuts.”

With two more weeks left in the harvest season, hospitals and families brace for more tragedies. Each fall leaves a family destitute and a young man’s life cut short.