GI-tagged Mithila Makhana makes first sea shipment from Bihar to Australia

For the first time, GI-tagged Mithila makhana has been shipped from Bihar to Australia by sea, according to Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. The 18-metric-tonne consignment provided farmers in Darbhanga a 18 per cent higher profit than the market price. The shipment, consisting of roughly 18 metric tonnes packed in seven containers, was facilitated by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and was flagged off from the Integrated Unit of Irradiation Cum Packhouse at Bihta, Patna, by Bihar Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha.

This marks a significant milestone in Bihar's agricultural exports, connecting the state's farmers with global markets and paving the way for moving from production to export. Modern facilities for irradiation, quality testing, packaging, and logistics are supporting Bihar's agricultural products in meeting global quality standards.

This initiative, which began with makhana, could open new opportunities for other agricultural products from Bihar to reach international markets. The effort to strengthen Bihar's agri-export ecosystem includes capacity building, export infrastructure, quality compliance, market linkages, and value addition.