National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS)
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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
In India, the cultivation of Makhana (Euryale ferox) is distributed in Bihar, West Bengal, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Eastern Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh. India is the only country where Makhana is cultivated as crop and mainly in the state of Bihar and some Parts of Assam. In Bihar, area under makhana cultivation is about 13,000 hectares and accounts to a total yield of 85 per cent of the total production in India. Major Makhana producing districts in Bihar include Darbhanga, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Saharsa, Supaul, Araria, Kishanganj, Purnia and Katihar. It is a cash crop and is marketed in the form of popped makhana commonly known as Makhana Lawa. It is commonly known as Gorgon nut or Foxnut and grown in stagnant perennial water bodies like ponds, Oxbow lakes, and swamps. Cultivation of Makhana is highly cumbersome, labour intensive and involves human drudgery while sweeping bottom of the water body for seed collection. It is followed by processing of raw seeds, which is equally painstaking activity. Fishermen community (Mallah) belonging to the weaker sections of the society is mainly involved in makhana cultivation and processing. It is observed that, among the selected farmers 40 per cent were illiterate, 46 per cent were studied up to class Vth, 54 per cent respondents were in age group of above 50 years old, the farmers having family member of 6-10 people were 60 per cent, the farmers having annual income of Rs. 50,000 to 1,00,000 was 32 per cent, the large number of people (62 per cent) were involved in other professions with agriculture and aquaculture for their livelihood. The farmers having 2 earner in the family was 56 per cent. And the farmers having up to 0.5 hecres of land was 68 per cent, the farmers taken pond on lease of up to 2 hectares was 82 per cent.
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