Government Initiatives to Transform Makhana Farming: Union Minister Addresses Challenges Faced by Bihar's Foxnut Producers

NDTV's CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Rahul Kanwal, took an immersive approach by wading into a makhana pond in Bihar's Purnia district to understand farmer challenges firsthand.

New Delhi:

Bihar produces almost all of India's foxnut or makhana, the delicate kernel of the prickly water lily. Despite being celebrated as a nutritional superfood, the farmers who cultivate this crop face numerous challenges. In preparation for the Bihar assembly elections, NDTV's CEO and Editor-in-Chief, Rahul Kanwal, immersed himself in a makhana pond in Purnia district to engage directly with farmers about their daily struggles—ranging from increasing input costs to packaging regulations, water management issues, and fluctuating market prices. When these farmers requested advocacy for their concerns with the government, NDTV fulfilled this commitment.

At the PepsiCo Voices of Harvest awards, Rahul Kanwal addressed Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan regarding government initiatives to enhance cultivation practices and profitability for makhana farmers:

"When we met the farmers in Purnia, they asked us to take up their issues with the government. They feel that the rates of their crops fluctuate a lot. Secondly, there are a lot of thorns, and they bruise their hands; farming is difficult. And like other crops, they want a minimum support price for makhana as well. How are you planning to make their lives better?"

Shivraj Singh Chouhan outlined comprehensive solutions that the government is implementing to simplify makhana farming.

"The Makhana Board has been constituted so that its cultivation could be made easier and farmers could be given a fair price. Before the board was formed, we spoke to the cultivators. I got into the water in Bihar's Darbhanga to plant makhana seeds and understand their challenges," explained Chouhan.

On September 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the National Makhana Board in Bihar. This institution aims to enhance production and technological innovation, improve post-harvest management, promote value addition and processing, and develop market opportunities, export channels, and brand recognition for makhana.

The Union Agriculture Minister indicated that the government is pursuing multiple solutions. "We need mechanisation - we need to develop such seeds which can germinate even in less water. So that the farmers don't have to dive into the murky water. We are working on this," he stated.

"We have an entire team for the mechanisation process. There is one division in which our scientists are working on how to make farming easier. And the Makhana Board will also make arrangements for branding, marketing, packaging and proper processing of Makhana so that they receive fair prices," he added.

The Mithila region comprising eight districts—Madhubani, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Supaul, Madhepura, Purnea, Katihar, and Araria—contributes approximately 80 to 90 percent of India's total makhana production.