Patna: Bihar has set a target of increasing makhana exports to 30,000 metric tonnes by 2030-31 as part of a plan to position GI-tagged Mithila Makhana as a global superfood, agriculture minister Vijay Kumar Sinha said on Friday. The state currently accounts for 80-85% of India’s total makhana production.Under the five-year ‘Makhana Se Samriddhi Abhiyan’, the state govt plans to double the area under makhana cultivation from 41,000 hectares in 2025-26 to 82,000 hectares by 2030-31. The production of popped makhana is targeted to reach 91,512 metric tonnes during the period.An official press release said Rs 89.79 crore has been earmarked for 2026-27 to support production, post-harvest infrastructure, research, branding and international promotion.Sinha said India exported more than 7,200 metric tonnes of makhana and value-added products to over 20 countries in 2025-26, earning $22 million. GI-tagged Mithila Makhana consignments reached the US, Canada, Australia and Greece this year.An 18-metric-tonne consignment was also shipped by sea to Australia for the first time from the BIADA industrial area in Bihta.The minister said farmers’ income from makhana cultivation had increased from Rs 35,000 per hectare in 2012-13 to Rs 4.25 lakh per hectare in 2025-26.Under Bihar Vision 2030, the state aims to ensure that one in every two packets of makhana consumed worldwide carries the Mithila Makhana GI tag.
