{"id":41537,"date":"2025-10-27T04:41:33","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T23:11:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=41537"},"modified":"2025-10-28T15:21:11","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T09:51:11","slug":"bihar-seeks-msp-for-makhana-flags-issues-at-icar-nrc-darbhanga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/bihar-seeks-msp-for-makhana-flags-issues-at-icar-nrc-darbhanga\/","title":{"rendered":"Bihar Seeks MSP for Makhana, Flags Issues at ICAR-NRC Darbhanga"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in News?<\/li>\n<li>What is Makhana?<\/li>\n<li>What is Indian Council of Agricultural Research \u2014 National Research Centre (ICAR-NRC) for Makhana?<\/li>\n<li>Demand by Bihar Govt<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why in News?<\/h2>\n<p>The Bihar government has urged the Centre to declare the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for makhana, an aquatic crop.<\/p>\n<p>The state has also flagged lack of manpower at the Darbhanga (Bihar)-based Indian Council of Agricultural Research \u2014 National Research Centre (ICAR-NRC) for Makhana.<\/p>\n<h2>What is Makhana?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>About<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Makhanas are also known as fox nuts, Euryale ferox, lotus seeds, gorgon nuts and phool makhana.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Botanical name<\/strong> &#8211; Euryale ferox Salisb<\/li>\n<li>Basically, it is an aquatic crop, belonging to the family of Nympheaceae.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cultivation<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This plant, which is grown commercially, is often found in stagnant water bodies like ponds, swamps, oxbow lakes, ditches, and certain low-lying areas.<\/li>\n<li>It thrives naturally in warm, tropical, and subtropical climates.<\/li>\n<li>Farmers typically sow the seeds in shallow water, and the plants are allowed to grow until they flower and produce seeds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Harvesting<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Harvesting usually occurs during the summer months. The mature seeds are collected from the water, dried in the sun, and then roasted to remove the hard outer shell.<\/li>\n<li>The process of roasting and popping is essential to convert the hard seeds into the light, crunchy, and edible form we recognize as makhana.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Areas where makhana is produced<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Makhana plant or Euryale ferox Salisb is a native of South-East Asia and China, but is now distributed and exported to different parts of the world.<\/li>\n<li>In the initial years of commercial production, the plant\u2019s distribution was limited to tropical and sub-tropical regions of South-East and East Asia and other countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>This includes Japan, Korea, Russia, North America, Nepal, Bangladesh to name a few.\n<ul>\n<li>In India, the makhana seeds are distributed in different states including West Bengal, Bihar, Manipur, Tripura, Assam, Jammu &amp;amp; Kashmir, Eastern Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>However, the commercial cultivation and processing is limited to North Bihar, Manipur, parts of West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Indian States Producing Makhana<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Traditionally the Indian state of Bihar has been the hub of makhana cultivation and production.<\/li>\n<li>The focused and major lotus seeds producing districts includes Madhubani, Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Saharsa, Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnia and Katihar.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>It should be noted that 80% of the total production of processed makhana seeds comes from 4 districts of Madhubani, Darbhanga, Purnia and Saharsa.<\/li>\n<li>Out of these districts, Madhubani and Darbhanga lead the production.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Nutritional Value of Makhana<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Fox nut has a low Glycemic Index (GI)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>It means that is slowly absorbed by the body and does not shoot the sugar level in human beings and is also helpful for people suffering for diabetes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>High Fiber Content<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>High fiber acts as an absorbent and is helpful for the body ,in heart management, keeping the body fit and fine.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Low in Calories<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Fox nuts can be eaten on a daily basis in different forms to regulate normal body functions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>High in Potassium<\/strong> and also contains Vitamin B1, carotene, iodine, iron, and phosphorous in addition to calcium.<\/li>\n<li>The natural sodium content in phool makhana is insignificant which is also helpful to manage blood pressure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is Indian Council of Agricultural Research \u2014 National Research Centre (ICAR-NRC) for Makhana?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The ICAR-NRC for Makhana, Darbhanga, was sanctioned by the Department of Agricultural Research &amp; Education.<\/li>\n<li>It was sanctioned as a new scheme during the <strong>IX Five Year Plan period (1997\u20132002)<\/strong> for Conservation, Research &amp; Development of the makhana crop.<\/li>\n<li>It started functioning from February 2002.<\/li>\n<li>However, in 2005, the NRC for Makhana was merged and brought under the administrative control of ICAR-Research Complex for Eastern Region (RCER), Patna.\n<ul>\n<li>With this move, the national tag of the NRC for Makhana was revoked.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>In May 2023, the Central government restored the status of Research Centre for Makhana, Darbhanga to \u201cNational Research Centre for Makhana, Darbhanga.\n<ul>\n<li>It added other aquatic crops including fish in its mandate.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>However, the NRC for Makhana was transferred under the administrative control of the ICAR\u2019s Agricultural Engineering Division and attached to the Ludhiana-based ICAR-Central Institute of Post Harvest Engineering &amp; Technology.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Demand by Bihar Govt<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Declare the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for makhana<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The Bihar government has urged the Centre to declare the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for makhana.<\/li>\n<li>It has also flagged lack of manpower at the Darbhanga-based Indian Council of Agricultural Research \u2014 National Research Centre (ICAR-NRC) for Makhana and told the Centre it was in bad shape.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bihar \u2013 hub of makhana production<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>About 85 per cent of the country\u2019s makhana production comes from Bihar.<\/li>\n<li>About 10 lakh people are directly or indirectly involved in its cultivation and production process.<\/li>\n<li>Most of the farmers who cultivate the GI-tagged makhana \u2014 in Darbhanga, Saharsa, Madhepura, Supaul, Purnia, Katihar, Araria, Kishanganj, Madhubani and Sitamarhi districts of the state \u2014 come from poor backgrounds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Darbhanga-based ICAR-NRC in bad shape<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The Darbhanga-based ICAR-NRC for Makhana has only 10 employees against a sanctioned strength of 42.<\/li>\n<li>There\u2019s no administrative staff and a full-time director was never appointed.<\/li>\n<li>Bihar govt has emphasized that the ICAR-NRC for Makhana in Darbhanga needs to be upgraded, and its administrative headquarters should be moved to Patna.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Q.1. What is GI Tag?<\/h2>\n<p>A Geographical Indication (GI) tag is a certification that identifies a product as originating from a specific region, attributing its unique quality, reputation, or characteristics to that location, thus protecting and promoting regional products and heritage.<\/p>\n<h2>Q.2. What is Minimum Support Price (MSP)?<\/h2>\n<p>Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a government-set price at which it purchases crops from farmers, ensuring them a minimum profit and protecting them from market fluctuations and low prices, thereby encouraging agricultural production and stability.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/bihar-govt-seeks-msp-for-makhana-flags-bad-shape-of-research-centre-9453629\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Bihar govt seeks MSP for makhana, flags \u2018bad shape\u2019 of research centre<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.makhana.org\/know-makhana\/about-makhana\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Makhana.Org<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/food.ndtv.com\/food-drinks\/what-is-makhana-fox-nuts-and-where-does-it-come-from-1755667\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">NDTV Food<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn about Bihar&#8217;s appeal for a Minimum Support Price for makhana and the challenges at the Darbhanga-based ICAR-NRC for Makhana.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":41538,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-41537","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41537\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}