NABARD ARDNABARD Grade AState AAO
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Context: India’s makhana market is projected to reach ₹11,000–₹12,000 crore by 2029-30, supported by rising global demand and modern cultivation. The Centre has approved a ₹476.03-crore scheme and established the National Makhana Board.
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What is Makhana?
- Scientific name: Euryale ferox
- A high-value aquatic crop belonging to the water lily family (Nymphaeaceae).
- The edible part is the starchy seed, which is dried, graded, roasted and popped — manually or mechanically — into white, crunchy puffs known as fox nuts or gorgon nuts.
Where It Grows
- Habitat: shallow, stagnant freshwater wetlands, perennial ponds, oxbow lakes (beels), ditches and flood-prone lowlands with slow water currents
- Climate: warm, humid tropical to sub-tropical, with water depth of 1 to 1.5 metres and clayey or alluvial organic-rich pond beds
- This is why makhana matters for Bihar specifically. It grows in exactly the kind of waterlogged, flood-prone land that is useless for conventional crops — turning a liability into a cash crop.
Where It Is Grown
- India produces 85–90 per cent of the world’s makhana — effectively a global monopoly. Smaller pockets exist in Nepal, Bangladesh, China and Japan.
- Bihar contributes nearly 90 per cent of India’s makhana, concentrated in the Mithilanchal and Kosi-Seemanchal regions — districts including Darbhanga, Madhubani, Purnia, Katihar, Saharsa, Supaul, Araria and Sitamarhi.
- GI tag: Mithila Makhana received the Geographical Indication tag in 2022, registered by the Mithilanchal Makhana Utpadak Sangh, Purnia.
- Other states: cultivated on a smaller scale in the wetlands of West Bengal, Assam, Odisha and Manipur.
