As Trump’s tariffs hit Indian fox nuts, the superfood eyes new markets
Al Jazeera
Fox nuts remain unaffected by US tariffs due to strong domestic demand, coupled with emerging new markets.
Katihar, India – Ravjit Singh, a leather garment trader who lives in Denver, Colorado, has started to feel the pinch of 50 percent tariffs imposed by United States President Donald Trump on Indian goods in recent months.
The 50-year-old, originally from Kolkata in eastern India, told Al Jazeera that rising grocery prices have sent his household budget haywire, in particular, affecting a favourite family snack – fox nuts, popularly known as makhana.
“The monthly budget has shot up to $900, which was $500 before the pandemic, and tariffs have made things worse,” he said.
A pack of fox nuts weighing about 25 grammes (0.9 ounces), which used to cost $2, has in recent months doubled to $4, along with price increases of other household staples, like lentils and basmati rice, he added.
Fox nuts are the popped kernels of water lily seeds, and are found in tropical and subtropical regions of South and East Asia, with a considerable presence in India, China, Nepal and Japan. Packed with protein, calcium, antioxidants and vitamins, the nuts have rapidly gained a reputation as major immunity boosters.
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