Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan today visited Patna during his one-day tour of Bihar, where the Minister participated in ‘Makhana Mahotsav 2025’ held at Gyan Bhavan, Gandhi Maidan, and released the report titled ‘Makhana: From Culture to Prosperity’ (Makhana: Sanskriti se Samridhhi).

In his address, Minister Chouhan said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi recently extended a historic gift worth ₹64,000 crore to the youth, especially those from Bihar. “Bihar is witnessing showers of prosperity and development — the Sun of a developed India is shining brightly on the state’s destiny,” he remarked.

The Union Minister also referred to the recent hike in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) announced by the Central Government for farmers. He stated that the Centre will procure all the produce of lentils (masoor), urad, and arhar grown by Bihar’s farmers at MSP.

Calling makhana an “extraordinary blessing” for the poor, Shri Chouhan said Bihar has now emerged not just as India’s but also the world’s leading centre for makhana production. He noted that the cultivation area, which earlier covered around 3,000 hectares, has now expanded to 35,000–40,000 hectares.

Shri Chouhan announced that the Central Government has notified the establishment of a Makhana Board to promote research, development, marketing, branding, and promotion of makhana. He added that nearly ₹475 crore has been sanctioned for modern machinery, new variety development, and processing facilities to boost makhana production and value addition.

Appealing to Bihar’s youth to launch startups in the makhana sector, the Union Minister assured full support from the Central Government. “Our goal is to take makhana from India to dining tables across the world, ensuring a steady rise in farmers’ incomes,” Shri Chouhan said.

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