New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said the country’s premier agri-research body ICAR has developed a technology to increase the production of fox nut, also called makhana, amid the rise in demand for this food item.
Tomar, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, said: “The use of fox nuts is also increasing in the various food components during the last few years”.
The Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) has developed technology for the cultivation of makhana in cropping system mode. A fox nut-based integrated farming system has been developed for water surplus ecologies to improve productivity, he said.
Currently, the commercial cultivation of fox nuts is mainly confined to Bihar with the production of 56,194.59 tonnes during the year 2020-21, he said, adding that state-wise data for production is, however, not available.
The minister further said the Bihar government has also formulated a state-sponsored scheme — the Makhana Vikas Scheme, which is exclusively implemented for holistic development of Makhana in the state with special emphasis on increasing production.
In addition, makhana growers are supported in Bihar through the State Horticulture Produce Development Scheme. The productivity has increased from 16 tonne per hectare to 28 tonne per hectare due to high yielding varieties of Swarna Vaidhehi and Sabour Makhana-I, he added. PTI LUX BAL BAL
