Beyond Raw Exports: Capturing Value from Pakistan's Himalayan Pink Salt

Pakistan holds the world's second-largest salt reserves overall and is the only country with a Himalayan Pink salt reserve. The global market for Himalayan Pink Salt is valued at $500 million - $1.2 billion, spanning food and culinary, wellness, decorative, and other consumer uses. The global market for food and the culinary segment alone was estimated at approximately $500 million in 2026, growing at a CAGR of 3.6%. Despite having huge salt reserves, Pakistan's overall salt export revenue was only $76.7 million in 2024, which is a small fraction of the global Himalayan Salt market value. The reason behind such low revenue is the lack of value addition. Pakistan exports most of its salt in raw form, worth $0.15 to $0.30 per kg, without proper processing and packaging. The same salt, after proper processing, branding, and packaging abroad, is sold for $8 to $15 per kg in the global market. The opportunity lies in the value gap. This study has presented different value capture scenarios along the Himalayan Pink Salt value chain. Through proper processing, packaging, branding, and by targeting high-value product categories such as wellness and decorative segments and premium products, Pakistan can increase the value realization many times over. The real opportunity lies in capturing this value gap. Pakistan needs immediate actions to capture high value through improved infrastructure, building a Pakistani brand, securing a GI tag, targeting high-value products, improving product competitiveness, and prioritizing regional markets.