Patna, Oct. 4 -- Announcing a centre of excellence for maintaining the quality and for value addition in Makhana (fox nut) production, union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan today exhorted the youth to come forward for the startups related to Makhana 'superfood'.
Addressing Makhana festival, Chauhan outlined a multipronged strategy for development of lotus seeds with an aim to make it one of the most important icons of the international food basket.
Chauhan said nearly 85 per cent of the country's makhana is produced in Bihar. Its cultivation has expanded from 3000 hectares to 35,000-40,000 hectares following promotional efforts of the government.
He emphasized that Bihar is steadily contributing to India's growing role as the ...