APEDA Facilitates First-Ever Export of GI-tagged Mithila Makhana by Sea Route from Bihar to Australia

The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) facilitated the first commercial sea shipment of 18 metric tonnes of GI‑tagged Mithila Makhana from the BIADA Industrial Area in Bihta, Bihar, to Australia. The consignment, sourced from Darbhanga district growers, was flagged off by Bihar’s Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha and shipped by M/s NIAD Green with logistics support from the APEDA‑backed startup Jitban Supply Chain Pvt. Ltd. Farmers earned roughly 18 percent higher returns than prevailing market rates, underscoring the income benefits of export‑oriented value chains. The export aligns with India’s broader Makhana export growth—over 7,000 MT in FY 2025‑26—and follows the introduction of a separate HS code for Makhana in July 2025.