{"id":57553,"date":"2025-10-25T18:47:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T13:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=57553"},"modified":"2025-10-27T11:08:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T05:38:08","slug":"makhananomics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/25-10-2025\/makhananomics","title":{"rendered":"Makhananomics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Economy<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the newly launched <strong>National Makhana Board<\/strong> as a transformative \u201crevolution\u201d for the sector.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Makhana<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It\u00a0 is the dried edible seed of the prickly water lily or <strong>gorgon plant (Euryale ferox<\/strong>), a species which grows in freshwater ponds across South and East Asia.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is known for its violet and white flowers, and massive, round and prickly leaves \u2014 often stretching more than a meter across.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Makhana, traditionally consumed in ritual settings, has recently gained recognition as a nutrient-rich, low-fat \u201csuperfood\u201d and healthy snack.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Production areas<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bihar is the leading producer of makhana in India, with cultivation concentrated in nine districts of the Mithilanchal region\u2014particularly Darbhanga, Madhubani, Purnea, and Katihar, which account for 80% of the state\u2019s output.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Around 15,000 hectares are used for makhana farming, yielding approximately 10,000 tonnes of popped makhana annually.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The global makhana market was valued at $43.56 million in 2023, and expected to touch the $100 million-mark by 2033.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Issues and Concerns<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bihar, despite being the top makhana producer, lacks food processing and export infrastructure, forcing it to sell raw fox nuts cheaply to other states like Punjab and Assam, which dominate exports.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Poor market organization and multiple intermediaries result in low earnings for farmers and the state.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Additionally, makhana cultivation remains labor-intensive and low in productivity, raising input costs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government initiatives<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The government is promoting its commercial potential through marketing efforts, improved industrial infrastructure, and the formation of the <strong>Makhana Board<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In 2022<\/strong>, \u2018Mithila Makhana\u2019 was conferred a <strong>Geographical Indication (GI) tag,<\/strong> a certification that signifies that a product can only be grown in a particular geographical location, and as a result, has unique characteristics (like Darjeeling\u2019s tea or Mysore sandal soap).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Makhananomics envisions rural empowerment, economic growth, and regional development.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With better infrastructure, supportive policies, and improved market access, Bihar\u2019s makhana sector could transform from a subsistence crop into a globally recognized superfood industry.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source:<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-politics\/politics-makhananomics-makhana-industry-bihar-10324343\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>In News<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the newly launched National Makhana Board as a transformative \u201crevolution\u201d for the sector.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Makhana<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It\u00a0 is the dried edible seed of the prickly water lily or gorgon plant (Euryale ferox), a species which grows in freshwater ponds across South and East Asia.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It is known for its violet and white flowers, and massive, round and prickly leaves \u2014 often stretching more than a meter across.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">Makhana, traditionally consumed in ritual settings, has recently gained recognition as a nutrient-rich, low-fat \u201csuperfood\u201d and healthy snack.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/25-10-2025\/makhananomics\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":57594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/makhananomics.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57553","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57553"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57571,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57553\/revisions\/57571"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}