Bengaluru: Bihar Deputy Chief Minister, Samrat Chaudhary, inaugurated the two-day Makhana Mahotsav in Bangalore, alongside Agriculture-cum-Health Minister Mangal Pandey. Organized by Bihar’s Agriculture Department at Kings Court, Palace Ground, the event highlighted Makhana (fox nuts), a GI-tagged superfood, as a vital crop for the state’s economy.
The deputy CM encouraged traders and exporters to invest in Bihar by setting up processing units, offering subsidies of 15% for individual investors and 25% for farmer producer organizations. He emphasized the growing domestic and international demand for Makhana and the Bihar government’s commitment to maximize economic benefits for those involved in its cultivation and processing.
Agriculture minister Pandey highlighted Bihar’s top position in Makhana production, particularly in six districts under the “One District One Product” scheme: Darbhanga, Madhubani, Supaul, Saharsa, Katihar, and Araria. He detailed the state’s Makhana Development Scheme, initiated in 2019-20, which supports seed production, area expansion, and improved varieties of Makhana through grants.
He also urged the Central Government to strengthen Makhana’s market presence through measures such as establishing a Minimum Support Price (MSP) Board, an HS code for trade, and enhancing ICAR-National Research Center Makhana.
The festival, the first of its kind outside Bihar, underscores the state’s efforts to promote Makhana as a global superfood and bolster investment opportunities for farmers and entrepreneurs.
