Though the first board meeting of the National Makhana Board, chaired by Dr Devesh Chaturvedi, secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare was held at Krishi Bhawan, New Delhi on Saturday, the uncertainty over its location continues to persist in Bihar.
The board meeting approved a multi-year development programme with an outlay of ₹476.03 crore for the six-year period (2025-26 to 2030-31) focusing on research and innovation, quality seed production, farmer capacity building, improved harvesting and post-harvest practices, value addition, branding and marketing, export promotion and quality control.
Meanwhile, the demand for the setting up of the Makhana Board in Purnea has gained momentum with the farming community, especially makhana growers, mounting pressure on the government to establish the board headquarters in Purnea that produces over 70 percent of makhana produced in Bihar.
Mithila Makhana which got the GI (Geographical Indication) tag in 2022 (GI No-696) was due to the research and experiments of the agriculture experts and scientists of Bihar Agricultural University (BAU) Sabour particularly at Bhola Paswan Shastri Agricultural College (BPAC) under the directive of vice chancellor (VC) Prof Dr D R Singh. VC has been taking keen interest in promoting the makhana research in the region and its cultivation has gone up to over 40,000 hectares.
In a letter to Bihar agriculture minister Ram Krpial Yadav, social activist Vijay Kumar Shreevasatava, has demanded to establish the board at BPAC in Purnea. “GI tag to Makhana was awarded to Mithilanchal Makhana Utpadak Sangh, Saheban Hata, Janta Chowk in Purnea,” he claimed and expressed shock that top authorities link Mithila Makhana to Darbhanga. Citing data, Shreevasatava said that out of 90 percent of makhana grown in Bihar, 70 percent is produced in Purnea-Koshi regions.
{{/usCountry}}In a letter to Bihar agriculture minister Ram Krpial Yadav, social activist Vijay Kumar Shreevasatava, has demanded to establish the board at BPAC in Purnea. “GI tag to Makhana was awarded to Mithilanchal Makhana Utpadak Sangh, Saheban Hata, Janta Chowk in Purnea,” he claimed and expressed shock that top authorities link Mithila Makhana to Darbhanga. Citing data, Shreevasatava said that out of 90 percent of makhana grown in Bihar, 70 percent is produced in Purnea-Koshi regions.
{{/usCountry}}BPAC was the only college to receive “centre of excellence” during the fourth agriculture roadmap (2023-28). Besides Saboutr Makhana- (National Identity-620551), the high yielding variety was invented by the agriculture scientists of BAU in Purnea in 2016 and notified in 2019 which led to revolutionise its cultivation.
BPAC has developed over 25 acres of land in the campus for the research of makhana and it has trained a large number of farmers willing to grow makhana.
Within radius of 100 kms eight districts including Katihar, Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj, Madhepura, Supaul, Saharsa and Khagaria, 70 percent makhana is produced and a large number of labourers from Madhubani and Darbhanga shift in these districts during harvesting and processing season.
The Union government has established the National Makhana Board fulfilling the announcement made in the Union Budget 2025-26 and it was officially launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bihar on September 15, making a major step towards strengthening and modernizing the makhana sector.