Walnuts from the United States have been accepted for import into India, the Indian Department of Agriculture announced.

The notification comes with the specification that the shelled or unshelled walnuts undergo methyl bromide fumigation for 24 hours at 21° C (70° F) or higher. Other forms of fumigation may be accepted if approved of by the Plant Protection Adviser.

The nuts must also come with the appropriate phytosanitary certificate and be found to be free of pecan nut casebearer, navel orange worm, pecan weevil, hickory shuckworm and deep bark canker.

In 2011, the United States was registered as the world's third largest producer of shelled walnuts with 418,212 tons (MT) of production, according to statistics from the United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization.

The nation was preceded by China and Iran with 1,655,510 MT and 485,000 MT, respectively.

Walnuts are considered India's most important temperate nut by the Agricultural & Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). In 2011-12, the nation produced an estimated 284,400 MT of walnuts, APEDA reported.

In the 2012-13, APEDA registered Indian walnut exports to the United States, as well as the United Kingdom, Egypt, the Netherlands, Germany, China, Australia and Taiwan.

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