Agriculture
A two-tonne shipment of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana left Purnia on 21 January 2026 for Dubai by sea — the first time the product was exported by waterway — through the Commerce Ministry, the state government and APEDA.
The National Makhana Board, launched in Purnia in September 2025, reaches about five lakh farmers, and a ₹476 crore central makhana development scheme runs to 2030–31. The area under makhana has grown from about 13,000 hectares in 2012 to about 35,000 hectares.