In Bihar’s makhana fields, skyrocketing prices of the superfood don’t mean much for the farmer

For the generations of mallahs (a community of fishermen) in the state’s riverine belts of Kosi and Mithanchal, makhana farming is the only livelihood they have known. (Express photo by Himanshu Harsh)

It’s this that Sharwan and other makhana farmers hope will change once the Makhana Board and the food processing institute announced in the Union Budget get off the ground.

“The government should fix a rate for labour at every stage of makhana cultivation — from sowing, to transplanting, harvesting to packaging. It will prevent exploitation. The government should also create local markets where farmers can sell their own products without relying on middlemen,” says Sharwan, who also runs a Farmer Producer Organization (FPO) under the name of the Kosi Kamla Makhana Farmers Producer Organisation.

According to the latest Bihar Economic Survey, in 2023-24, makhana production in the state stood at 56.4 thousand tonnes and covered 27.8 thousand hectares. In the absence of efficient marketing chains, food processing units and an export infrastructure in Bihar, it’s from states such as Punjab and Assam that makhana is exported to foreign markets.

With the government identifying makhana as a crop with the “potential to become a major export product”, the focus has shifted to the mallahs, an Extremely Backward Class community that has a near-exclusive hold over makhana farming in the state.

“Humlog machwara hain, janm se hi paani se jude hain… (We are fishermen, we are linked to the river from the time we are born). Without us, makhana can neither be sown nor harvested,” says Sharwan.

According to the latest Bihar Economic Survey, in 2023-24, makhana production in the state stood at 56.4 thousand tonnes and covered 27.8 thousand hectares. (Express illustration by Abhishek Mitra)

The makhana ‘divers’

In Saharsa, where the Kosi and its tributaries form a network of water bodies, makhana fields stretch out as far as the eye can see – their lotus-like leaves floating in low-land ponds.

It’s from these marshy fields that the makhana starts its journey to markets, both within and outside the state.

While makhana was traditionally grown in ponds, it is now mostly cultivated in fields, with the crop season lasting from January (when the sowing happens) to July-September (harvesting).

The seeds for planting come from the previous year’s harvest or from the government’s Krishi Vigyan Kendras, from where farmers can buy seeds at a subsidised rate of Rs 180 a kg. However, Sharwan points out, the subsidies often go to the landlords and not the “real farmers”.

A makhana field during peak season. (Express photo by Himanshu Harsh)

“Most farmers here don’t own the land they cultivate,” says Sharwan. “They lease it from landlords, paying anywhere from between Rs 20,000 and 30,000 per hectare each year,” he says, adding that many farmers take loans just to maintain their fields.”

Sharwan doesn’t own the 70 acres on which he grows makhana. Yet, he has now grown into a middle-level farmer, employing others from his neighbourhood to work with him on the field.

In the early days of the season, farmers sow the seeds in smaller nurseries which have a few inches of standing water. As the months progress, the water level rises, allowing the plants to grow.

After about 2-3 weeks, the plants are transplanted into a bigger field, a process that needs careful planning. “Before planting, the field must be cleaned. Leftover remains from the last harvest lead to aquatic weed growth,” Sharwan explains.

In the early days of the season, farmers sow the seeds in smaller nurseries which have a few inches of standing water. (Express photo by Himanshu Harsh)

The cleaning and transplantation process requires 20-25 workers per acre over the course of a week, costing the farmer approximately Rs 45,000.

Once the seedlings are transplanted, the fields require regular maintenance to control aquatic weeds. “That costs us another Rs 8,000-12,000 per acre. Pesticide spraying costs another Rs 1,500 per acre, including for the labour. This time, we called a drone operator from UP to spray pesticides. He did the job in just half an hour. The cost of the liquid urea was only Rs 300, and the drone charged Rs 250 for a flight.”

The real challenge begins when the makhana plants mature. The fruit, which looks like a pink pear, grows beneath the surface of the water, under the leaves.

“The plants and fruits reach their full size just before the monsoons. When the rain beats down on the leaves and the ripened fruits, they burst open and release black makhana seeds, which settle down on the waterbed,” Sharwan says.

The seeds have to be manually picked from the bed of the water body – a process makhana farmer Subodh Mukhiya, 35, calls “risky”, especially since the waters of the Kosi would have flooded the plains and the makhana fields.

Makhana seedlings growing in a field, they will be transplanted after they grow to a certain size. (Express photo by Himanshu Harsh)

“The water in the fields can rise up to 6 feet or more during the rains,” Subodh says. While the seeds are at the bottom of the field, the decaying leaves, stem and fruits of the makhana, which float in the water, are covered with fine thorns that can pierce the skin.

Rajiv Mukhiya, another farmer, adds, “Apart from the thorns, there’s always a risk of coming into contact with glass or metal pieces and various waterborne creatures, including snakes. The water is so murky, you can’t see anything.”

To retrieve the makhana seeds, Subodh explains, they dive bare-bodied, their bare hands scraping the water bed. “We hold our breath, dive in and collect the seeds. We have cuts and bruises all over after a day’s work… our ears and nostrils get filled with mud,” he says.

Farmers and fishermen like Subodh and Rajiv do several such rounds to gather all the raw makhana or the ghuri from the waterbed. “It’s risky, but no one else can do it,” Rajiv says.

It takes a team of around five people 10-15 days to gather around five quintals (500 kg) of makhana seeds from a 1-acre field. At this stage, the makhana is small, round and black, much like a small-sized betel nut. “Despite the intense physical toll, farmers are paid just around Rs 30-50 per kilogram of makhana they collect,” Sharwan says, adding that middlemen control each level of the market.

At this stage, the makhana is small, round and black, much like a small-sized betel nut. (Express photo by Himanshu Harsh)

After drying in the sun, the makhana seeds are ready for roasting. The process, usually done after the monsoon months, requires precision – overheating damages the final product – and is done by workers who are called in from Darbhanga.

Every year since 2012, Ganga Sahni, 34, has been coming to Saharsa from Darbhanga to help with the roasting. “I come here in August or September with my whole family. For each quintal of raw makhana I roast, I get Rs 5,000,” says Sahni.

The black roasted seed is then cracked with a wooden hammer to release the white popcorn-like makhana from their shells.

For every 100 kg of raw makhana that’s dried, roasted, and cracked, about 60 kg of makhana is produced – a process that takes around 15 hours. Of that, only about 40 kg is considered high-quality. “The best quality sells for Rs 1,400 rupees per kg for the best variety. The others sell for Rs 800-1,300 a kg,” Sharwan says.

From the fields to the market

At every stage of the makhana’s value chain, its price goes up and by the time it reaches the market, it is sold for anywhere between Rs 1,200 to 2,000 a kilogram, depending on its quality.

“Many farmers can’t afford to get labourers to roast the makhana, so they sell the raw seeds for as low as Rs 300 rupees a kg,” Sharwan says, in between shouting out instructions to workers who are loading packed makhana onto a truck that will be sent to markets in Darbhanga.

The packing process adds another layer of expense, with costs ranging from Rs 6-8 per packet, including the labour cost and an additional “Rs 8-10 if we add masala”. (Express photo by Himanshu Harsh)

Once processed, makhana businessmen from across the country come to Darbhanga and other markets in the state to check the sample and buy the product, often paying 60 per cent of the agreed price as advance.

“Last season, I bought popped makhana for Rs 1,050 per kilogram,” says Balkrishn Mishra, a Mumbai-based businessman, “However, prices fluctuate significantly based on supply and demand.”

Once the makhana reaches his godown in Mumbai, says Mishra, it undergoes quality control to remove damaged or unwanted materials. “The process takes a day and costs around Rs 500 per quintal,” Mishra says.

The packing process adds another layer of expense, with costs ranging from Rs 6-8 per packet, including the labour cost and an additional “Rs 8-10 if we add masala”.

He finally sells the product to his customers for Rs 1,150-2,000 a kg, sometimes more, depending on the supply of makhana and the market demand.

Sharwan points out that most of the makhana farmers come from poor backgrounds, with limited financial security. “If the crops fail, we have to sell whatever we have to pay back the lenders. Our children have no choice but to join us in the fields at an early age. They miss out on education and end up leading lives just like ours,” he says.