Everyone calls Makhana a superfood, but itโs the supply chain that makes it super expensive.
#Bihar alone produces 90% of the worldโs makhana, and every single step still happens in muddy ponds, done entirely by hand.
Hereโs why your small packet costs so much
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐๐
โ Workers dive deep into ponds to collect seeds from the bottom
โ Seeds are cleaned using bamboo tools
โ Everything is sun-dried for days to get the right moisture
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด
โ Seeds are sorted into 7โ18 grades by size
โ Each seed is roasted individually on clay ovens
โ Only 35% of raw seeds become the final makhana you eat
A decade ago, makhana sold for โน120/kg.
Today? โน1,200โโน1,700/kg, a 700% jump.
Meanwhile, 100g packs sell online for โน180, and delivery apps ship them in minutes, masking months of manual labour.
Behind every crunchy bite lies a centuries-old process no machine can replicate.
โข 70% stays in India, 30% goes global, and demand keeps rising.
โข The process hasnโt evolved, but the market has exploded.
This is what happens when ancient craftsmanship meets modern appetite: the price of progress is still paid by hand.



