Pakistan is a neighboring country of India. But, India’s relations with Pakistan have never been better. However, even after this there have been trade relations between the two countries. Today, even though India may have reduced the import and sending of things from Pakistan, there was a period when some things were imported from there and some things were exported from there. Let us now come to the matter of salt.
Pakistan’s salt in India
Talking about the year 2018-19, 99.7 percent of India’s total rock salt imports came from Pakistan. However, later when relations with Pakistan deteriorated, India also reduced its dependence on Pakistan for rock salt.
Talking about 2019-20, India started importing rock salt from UAE instead of Pakistan. Apart from this, India also imported rock salt from Malaysia, Germany, Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and Australia.
Where is rock salt found in Pakistan
In Pakistan, rock salt is found mostly in Punjab province. Especially in the Khewra salt mine here, which is considered to be the largest and oldest rock salt mine in the country. Let us tell you, this mine is located in Jhelum district of Punjab province of Pakistan, which is about 160 kilometers from Islamabad.
Khewra salt mine is not only of Pakistan but it is considered to be one of the largest salt mines of the world. This mine is about 2000 years old and the salt coming out from here is of high quality. Apart from this, a lot of rock salt is also produced from Varcha Salt Mine, Jatta Salt Mine and Korak Salt Mine.
How much does Pakistan earn from rock salt?
Pakistan exports rock salt to many countries, including India, China, United Arab Emirates, America and European countries. According to the report of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Pakistan exported about 3,000,000 tonnes of rock salt in 2018-19. Pakistan got revenue of 52 million dollars from this. Whereas in the financial year 2020-21, Pakistan exported 600,000 tonnes of rock salt and earned crores of rupees from its export.
