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O.I.H.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3684
TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11TH AUGUST, 2026
SUPPORT TO MAKHANA GROWERS
3684. SHRI DINESH CHANDRA YADAV:
Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष और िकसान क(cid:670)ाण मं(cid:361)ी
be pleased to state:
(a) the current status of the establishment of the Makhana Board in Bihar as announced
in the Union Budget 2025-26 and the action taken so far for its constitution;
(b) the details of the administrative structure of the Makhana Board, the Ministry/
Department or agency entrusted with its functioning along with its organisational structure;
(c) whether makhana growers are being provided quality seeds, scientific production
techniques, training, processing and value addition, storage, marketing, export promotion,
promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), financial assistance and the benefits
of other Government schemes through the Makhana Board and if so, the details thereof;
and
(d) the details of the budget approved, timeline, progress made so far in respect of
Makhana Board and the number of farmers benefitted along with achievements made in
this regard, State-wise and district wise?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)
(a): National Makhana Board was constituted on 14.09.2025 in Bihar with objective to
promote the production, processing, value addition, marketing and export promotion of
makhana.
The Central Sector Scheme for Development of Makhana was approved on
14.09.2025 with an outlay of ₹ 476.03 crore to support the overall development of the
makhana sector. Financial assistance under the scheme is provided to States by the
National Makhana Board based on the approved Annual Action Plan (AAP).
(b): The National Makhana Board functions under the administrative control of the
Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
The details of the composition of the National Makhana Board are given at Annexure-I.
(c): The scheme provides support to Makhana farmers and Farmer Producer Organizations
(FPO) for production and productivity enhancement (area expansion, seed production),
post-harvest management, processing & value addition, research & development, export
promotion, market & brand development, extension activities and capacity building.
(d): Under the Central Sector Scheme for the Development of Makhana, ₹30 crore was
approved for 2025–26 and ₹90 crore for 2026–27. The details of the budget approved to
the States under the Central Sector Scheme for Development of Makhana are given at
Annexure-II.
Under the scheme, an additional area of 1,010 hectares has been brought under
Makhana cultivation across the states, while 73 hectares have been covered under seed
production programme. As per final estimates of the Horticulture Statistics Unit, Department
of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare (DA&FW), India's makhana production increased from
63,910 metric tonnes (MT) with an average productivity of 2.03 MT per hectare in 2024–25
to 80,590 MT with an average productivity of 2.34 MT per hectare in 2025–26 (Second
Advance Estimate).A total of 89 Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs) were conducted to demonstrate
improved production technologies of makhana. Capacity building of farmers was
undertaken through seminars, exposure visits and training programmes organized at State
Agricultural Universities (SAUs), Central Agricultural Universities (CAUs), Indian Council of
Agricultural Research (ICAR) institutes etc. The State-wise and district wise number of
farmers benefitted under the scheme during 2025-26 is given at
Annexure-III.Annexure-I
Composition of the National Makhana Board
i. Chairperson;
ii. Five members to represent respectively the Ministries/ Departments of the Central
Government dealing with Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development,
Commerce and Industry, Food Processing Industries and Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises;
iii. Agriculture Production Commissioner/ Principal Secretary Agriculture, Bihar and two
officials from other makhana growing states on rotation basis;
iv. Three members to represent makhana growers (to be nominated by Central
Government);
v. Two members to represent Makhana Processors/ Exporters (to be nominated by
Central Government);
vi. Director, ICAR-National Research Centre for Makhana, Darbhanga (Bihar);
vii. Director, National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management
(NIFTEM) or his Nominee;
viii. Director, ICAR-Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering & Technology
(CIPHET), Ludhiana (Punjab);
ix. Chairman, National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) or his
Nominee;
x. Vice-Chancellor of Bihar Agriculture University (BAU), Sabour, Bhagalpur or
nominee; and
xi. Secretary of National Makhana Board.Annexure-II
Budget approved for the States under the Central Sector Scheme for Development
of Makhana.
(₹ in crores)
2025-26 2026-27
S.No. State Budget Approved Budget Approved
1. Bihar 16.49 52.10
2. Chhattisgarh 1.78 4.11
3. Manipur 2.18 3.15
4. Assam 1.05 2.00
5. Madhya Pradesh 1.43 2.19
6. Uttar Pradesh 2.65 10.15
7. Uttarakhand 0.50 1.00
8. Jammu & Kashmir 0.41 0.99
9. West Bengal - 0.88
10. Jharkhand - 3.84Annexure-III
State-wise and district-wise number of farmers benefitted under Central Sector
Scheme for Development of Makhana for the year 2025-2026
S.No. State District Farmers (No.)
1. Bihar Bhagalpur 43
Darbhanga 165
Katihar 181
Khagaria 61
Kishanganj 112
Madhepura 172
Patna 5
Purnia 126
Saharsa 121
Supaul 192
Total 1276
2. Manipur Bishnupur 199
Kakching 129
Thoubal 131
Imphal West 129
Imphal East 126
Total 714
3. Assam Kamrup Metro 10
Darrang 1
Biswanath 1
Dibrugarh 1
Sribhumi 20
Baksa 1
Morigaon 8
Dhubri 8
Total 50
4. Madhya Pradesh Narmadapuram 380
Seoni 80
Panna 76
Total 536
5. Uttar Pradesh Mau 100
Balrampur 200
Chandauli 201
Sitapur 100
Kaushambi 300
Varanasi 50
Kushinagar 302
Jaunpur 50
Ayodhya 200
Ballia 50
Basti 150
Bhadohi 100
Azamgarh 50
Bahraich 250
Raebareli 200
Ambedkar Nagar 300
Sonbhadra 100
Siddharth Nagar 201
Barabanki 100
Deoria 100
Sant Kabir Nagar 201
Gorakhpur 301
Prayagraj 100
Mirzapur 101
Gonda 200
Total 4007
6. Chhattisgarh Dhamtari 533
Mahasamund 213
Balod 209
Raipur 269
Durg 352
Total 1576
Grand Total 8159
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