Bihar's GI-tagged Mithila Makhana has marked another milestone overseas, with farmers receiving around 18% higher prices than prevailing market rates on India's first sea shipment of the produce to Australia, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said on Saturday.
First Sea Shipment From Bihar
Goyal said in a post on X that 18 metric tonnes of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana were exported from Bihar to Australia via the sea route for the first time, with APEDA facilitating the shipment.
The consignment was procured directly from farmers in Darbhanga, Bihar, Goyal said, adding that the arrangement helped growers secure a premium of about 18% over prevailing market prices for the batch.
Global Recognition For Mithila Makhana
Mithila Makhana, the fox nut widely cultivated in Bihar's Mithila region, was granted the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2022, certifying its unique regional origin and quality.
The product has since been positioned as a flagship export item under government efforts to expand market access for GI-tagged Indian agricultural produce.
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APEDA, which functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has been facilitating export linkages for makhana growers, including quality certification, packaging support and connecting farmer clusters directly with overseas buyers, cutting out intermediaries in the supply chain.
Farmer-Linked Exports
The government has repeatedly flagged direct farmer-to-export models as a means of ensuring better price realisation for producers, particularly for GI-tagged goods where branding and traceability command a premium in international markets.
Goyal's post comes amid a broader push by the Commerce Ministry to diversify India's agricultural export basket and open new markets for regional specialty products.
Australia adds to the list of countries importing Indian makhana, which has in recent years found growing demand in markets including the United States, the United Kingdom and parts of the Middle East as a health food snack.
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