Available Online at http://www.recentscientific.com International Journal of CODEN: IJRSFP (USA) Recent Scientific International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Research Vol. 11, Issue, 11 (C), pp. 40116-40121, November, 2020 ISSN: 0976-3031 DOI: 10.24327/IJRSR Research Article MAKHANA CULTIVATION: A TROUBLESOME JOB FOR CULTIVATORS IN NORTH-EASTERN BIHAR Meenu Sodi1 and *Sanjib Kumar2 1Department of Botany, B.S.S. College, Supaul – 852131, Bihar, India 2Department of Botany and Principal, B.S.S. College, Supaul – 852131, Bihar, India DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24327/ijrsr.2020.1111.5632 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Article History: Makhana (Euryale ferox Salisb.) is an aquatic herb cultivated for its nutritional and edible seeds. The seeds are black and rounded and characterized by their hard seed coats (shells). It is cultivated Received 6th August, 2020 th naturally in stagnant perennial water bodies like ponds, oxbow lakes and swamps. Recently it is also Received in revised form 15 being cultivated in field conditions. Cultivation of makhana is a highly tedious, cumbersome, labour September,, 2020 intensive process and involves human drudgery. This plant is especially cultivated in north Bihar, Accepted 12th October, 2020 th West Bengal, Manipur and M.P. for its seeds. Bihar is the leading producer of makhana (90%) in Published online 28 November, 2020 India and also in the world of which 80% is produced in north-eastern Bihar. A survey was conducted during 2017-19 in makhana growing areas of makhana cultivars of Katihar, Purnea and Key Words: Supaul districts of north-eastern Bihar. It was found that the farmers, processors and market Makhana cultivation, seeds processing, intermediaries face a lot of troubles while dealing with makhana cultivation at their level of tedious work, overcome difficulties, boost operation. They face ownership problems, labour intensive problems, lack of credit facility, lack of economy. scientific knowledge, lack of skilled labours, poor economic condition, disease and pest problems, weed problem, disaster due to flood, long crop duration, lack of processing facilities, inadequate transportation, less remunerating and low profitability. Besides these processing of makhana seeds is a very troublesome, health risky and injury causing in which usually all the members including children of a family are involved. To enhance the socio-economic status of the makhana cultivators and involved labours necessary steps should be taken to overcome the difficulties. Considering its increasing demand in India and abroad, the harnessing of this valuable natural resource to the optimum is extremely desired in boosting the economy of our country. Copyright © Meenu Sodi and Sanjib Kumar, 2020, this is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. INTRODUCTION cultivators to gain income as a solution of poverty alleviation, livelihood security to the economically and nutritionally Makhana / gorgon nut / foxnut (Euryale ferox Salisb.) backward rural areas and as a source of earning foreign popularly called black diamond of the wetland is a perennial exchange. Roasted / popped makhana seeds (puffs) are tasty, herbaceous aquatic cash crop with gigantic prickly floating light, crispy, fatless, aphrodisiac, spermatogenic and with high leaves belonging to family Nymphaeaceae. It is one of the carbohydrate, protein and mineral contents. Therefore, important underutilized aquatic food crops next to deep-water makhana puffs have especially become a delicacy in the diets rice and water chestnut (Pramanik et al., 2013). The plant is a of riches and are in high demands in western and gulf countries. native to south-east Asia and widely prevalent in tropical and The area under makhana cultivation in Bihar is about 13,000 ha subtropical regions accomplished with humid to sub-humid (Kumari et al., 2014). Bihar produces about 90% of makhana environment (Jha et al., 1990). It is mainly cultivated as a of the country and according to an official figure, around source of starch and protein (Puste, 2004) in wetlands having 25,000 MT of makhana are produced every year in Bihar with water depth of about 0.5-3.0 m or even more. It was once an annual turnover of Rs.300 crores (The New Times Express, distributed in India, covering a long range from Kashmir to 2020). India’s exports for makhana are increasing @11.2% Manipur alongside the Himalayan stretch from Northwest to annually from 2013-17. In financial year 2017-18, India Fareast (Mandal et al., 2010). Its commercial cultivation is exported US $21.2 million worth of makhana to the world. It is limited to North Bihar, Manipur, parts of Assam, West Bengal expected that the global foxnuts market size will grow by US and Madhya Pradesh. In Bihar, this cash crop is grown by the $72.5 million during 2019-23 (Kumar et al., 2020). In Bihar *Corresponding author: Sanjib Kumar Department of Botany, B.S.S. College, Supaul – 852131, Bihar, India International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Vol. 11, Issue, 11 (C), pp. 40116-40121, November, 2020 district Madhubani occupies the highest share of total Usually male folks are involved in cultivation, harvesting and production of makhana pop which contributes about 20% of processing of makhana and women and children are primarily total production in the state followed by Katihar which involved in processing. Recently, a new trend has been accounts 18%, Purnea (15%), Darbhanga (14%), Supaul (7%) observed in the districts of Katihar, Purnea and Supaul that and others (Udyog Mitra, 2012). Katihar district has a women and children have started to participate in production maximum of 21,011 ha wetland area i.e. about 10.30% of the techniques viz. spraying of fertilizers, insecticides and geographical area of the district (Panigrahy et al., 2010). This pesticides and weeding operation in makhana cultivation. The district is known to produce good quality of makhana seeds present investigation deals with the information regarding (Pramanik et al, 2013) and the seeds of this district have the makhana cultivation in Katihar, Purnea and Supaul district maximum sprouting capacity (Sinha, 1996). Considering its including water area under cultivation, annual production, profitability cultivation of makhana is now being shifted from adoption of techniques, fungicides and insecticides used and pond system to field conditions in these districts. At present, occupational choice of cultivators and the constraints faced by 40-50% of makhana crop is cultivated in low land rice field them. conditions and rest are traditionally grown in the pond systems. STUDY AREA Katihar and adjacent districts are fast emerging as important hub for cultivation and trading of makhana with best quality MATERIAL AND METHODS production (Sodi, 2016). North Eastern Bihar comprises of about 11 districts out of The collection of gorgon nut (makhana) seeds from the bottom which present study was conducted in 9 villages of Katihar, of ponds is cumbersome, tedious and strenuous operation Purnea and Supaul districts of North Eastern Bihar (Table - 1) which involves through sweeping of the entire bottom of the by adopting Delphi Technique (Linestone, 1975; Verma, 2003). pond (Hasib et al., 2003) and can only be carried out by experienced and skilled fishermen and labours of other poor Gross margin of retailer = − communities. The nuts collected from the ponds are threshed Net margin of retailer = − ( − ) by the feet to remove the membranous covering and thoroughly () Percentage margin of retailer = × 100 washed by water of the same pond (Jha et al., 2003). Presently gorgon nut is processed by the traditional method which is laborious, time consuming and causes pains and injuries to the Whereas, PRr = Total value of receipts per unit sale processors hands as it involves handling of hot roasted nuts PPr = Purchase value per unit. manually. Management constraints are also faced during CMr = Cost incurred in marketing by retailer per unit sale transportation and marketing (Verma, 2003). 40117 | P a g e Meenu Sodi and Sanjib Kumar., Makhana Cultivation: A Troublesome Job for Cultivators in North Eastern Bihar Table 1; Study Area in District Katihar, Purnea and Supaul Data was collected with the help of interview schedules developed for the purpose. Focus group discussions were Site District Block Village Barari Bhandartal undertaken in makhana growing areas of Katihar, Purnea and I Katihar Korha Jhiktiya Supaul districts. In this study, a total of nine practices related to Katihar Laliyahi makhana production and storage (selection of pond, cleaning of Baisi Baisi pond, seed sowing, thinning, gap filling / transplanting, weed II Purnea Kasba Sabdalpur Purnea East Belouri management, pest management, harvesting, cleaning and Kishanpur Ratanpura storage) and six practices related to makhana processing and III Supaul Supaul Parsa, marketing (gradation, first frying of nuts, storage, second frying Saraigarh Jhilladumri of nuts, rubbing and storage, marketing) were taken into About 150 farmers from traditional system (pond system), 60 considerations. Interactions were made with fishermen, farmers from modern system (field system),12 processors, 6 cultivators and other stakeholders involved in makhana local wholesalers, 6 distant wholesalers, 6 local retailers and 6 production in order to get first hand information. distant