About Makhana

Makhana – the global food really needs no introduction. This popular super food has travelled the globe and forms a part of daily lives of all health freaks. From the humble beginnings in the Madhubani district in the Indian state of Bihar, it is now being exported across continents to meet the rising demand.

Also known as lotus seeds, Gorgon nut with the botanical name Euryale ferox Salisb, this is an aquatic crop, belonging to the family of Nympheaceae. This commercially grown and used plant is commonly found and naturally grows in stagnant water bodies including ponds, certain land depressions, oxbow lakes, swamps and ditches. It is a plant that naturally grows and flourishes in tropical and subtropical climatic conditions.

Makhana plant or Euryale ferox Salisb is a native of South-East Asia and China, but is now distributed and exported to different parts of the world.

In the initial years of commercial production, the plant’s distribution was limited to tropical and sub-tropical regions of South-East and East Asia and other countries including in Japan, Korea, Russia, North America, Nepal, Bangladesh to name a few. In India, the makhana seeds are distributed in different states including West Bengal, Bihar, Manipur, Tripura, Assam, Jammu & Kashmir, Eastern Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. However, the commercial cultivation and processing is limited to North Bihar, Manipur, parts of West Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.