Purnea Makhana Reaches Greece as Bihar Export Chain Expands

A consignment of 1 metric tonne of popped makhana from Purnea, Bihar, was flagged for export to Greece on 2 October 2026 with APEDA facilitation. The shipment was sourced by Indo Global Export at Belouri, Purnea, and exported through S. S Foods Exports Pvt. Ltd. , moving by sea from Mundra Port to Piraeus Port.

The Commerce Ministry stated that the export achieved higher price realisation than the prevailing domestic selling price, although the exact premium was not published. In FY 2025–26, India exported 7,264. 89 metric tonnes of makhana products valued at ₹192. 96 crore, reaching more than 20 international destinations. Bihar remains the centre of India’s makhana economy.

The Second Advance Estimates for 2025–26 recorded 60,000 MT of production in Bihar, while India’s total was 80,590 MT. Bihar therefore accounted for about 74% of officially reported national production, though other sources describe it as supplying roughly 80–85% of global makhana. Production is concentrated in north Bihar districts including Purnea, Katihar, Madhubani, Darbhanga, Saharsa, Supaul, Araria, Madhepura and Sitamarhi. The value chain involves drying, grading, roasting, cracking, popping, packaging and storage. The National Makhana Board was constituted in September 2025 with a ₹476.

03-crore development scheme. The export establishes Purnea-origin popped makhana in the Greek market. The key question for Bihar is value capture. Export numbers are important, but producer benefit depends on whether farmers and local processors receive better prices through aggregation, grading, drying, packaging, storage and direct linkages with exporters rather than remaining suppliers of low-margin raw material. Local value retention will be important as export volumes rise, particularly for growers, processors and producer organisations in Bihar.

Original source references: PIB Commerce, 2 October 2026; PIB, 19 August 2026; Ministry of Agriculture, 12 August 2026.

Rural Development Today | 2 October 2026 | Development Connects | Kallol Saha