Bihar’s makhana and the wetlands they grow in

Subject: Geography

Section: Economic geography

Makhana:

Makhana is the seed of a water lily species, Euryale ferox, found in south and east Asia.
Mithila Makhana or Makhan is a special variety of aquatic fox nut cultivated in the Mithila region of Bihar and Nepal.
When harvested, it is actually a tough blackish seed. It undergoes long and laborious stages of drying, heating, grading and roasting before it is popped to take on the white form as we know it.
Mithila Makhana is a GI-tagged product.

Micro-nutrients:

Fox Nuts are rich in protein and fibre and have various micronutrients such as magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and iron.

Production of Makahana:

For the region of Darbhanga in Bihar, both makhana and the wetlands they grow in, are very significant. Over 85% of India’s makhana comes from Bihar and almost a quarter of it is produced in Darbhanga’s wetlands.
Almost 850 ponds in the district are currently used for makhana cultivation as per government documents. These wetlands, therefore, are important for the state’s makhana cultivation and the livelihoods they support.

Significance:

The Maithili Brahmin community extensively uses and distributes Makhana during the Kojagara Puja festival.

Threats to the production of Makhana:

The water bodies are losing to pollution, illegal construction and encroachments.
A 2001 study found traces of toxic metals like lead, chromium, copper and cadmium in ponds and in the makhana that grew in them.