Patna: The Odisha government has evinced interest in taking up makhana (gorgon nut) cultivation in the state and has invited an entrepreneur from Bihar to explore its possibility.

The entrepreneur happens to be Satyajit Singh, managing director of Shakti Sudha Industries which is into the makhana business for more than a decade now and has its units in Patna and Delhi.

The invite from Odisha came on Saturday at World Food India, an event organised by the ministry of food processing industries for attracting investments in the food processing sector in the country. More than 400 exhibitors from 40 countries are taking part in the event and even Indian states and entrepreneurs have set up their stalls in the event.

Satyajit told The Telegraph over phone from Delhi: "The additional chief secretary of micro, small and medium enterprises department of Odisha, LN Gupta, visited our company stall and after collecting information about the model adopted for providing a direct linkage between industry and makhana growers, he invited me to Odisha for exploring the possibility of encouraging makhana farming there and linking the growers with the industry."

As far as the Bihar model is concerned, the Shakti Sudha industries directly procures makhana from over 10,000 growers spread over Darbhanga, Madhubani, Purnea, Katihar, Araria, Saharsa and Supaul districts.

When the direct procurement was started in 2006, farmers used to get Rs 65 for a kg of their produce whereas currently they are getting Rs 300 for 1kg of their produce.

Asked about the reason for inviting an industry from Bihar to his state, Odisha government additional chief secretary rank officer LN Gupta said: "We too want to grow makhana and would welcome entrepreneurs who can help our farmers on this front."

At present, makhana is grown on a very limited scale in Mayurbhanj and Kendujhar districts of Odisha.

"I am planning to visit Odisha soon and would explore the possibility of setting up a channel for direct procurement of Makhana from the existing growers there. If the government promotes makhana farming in a big way there and viability is available I may set up a unit in Odisha also for makhana processing," Satyajit said.

Shakti Sudha Industries also bagged an export order from Peru-based company Love Green Natural and would supply 400 tonnes of makhana seed every year to the company. The company plans to use the starch from the seed for making natural food supplement.

In addition to an international client, the Bihar-based industries has also entered into a contract with Walmart, Spencer, Big Bazaar and Dharampal Satyapal group for supplying 1,200 tonnes of makhana annually.

"The World Food India platform has turned out to be very good for those in the business of food processing. Makhana happens to be a speciality of Bihar and I feel really good when big players from India as well as from foreign countries show interest in selling this produce," Satyajit said.

The Shakti Sudha Industries, started in 2006 and which supplies around 4,000 tonnes of makhana to national and international markets, has also launched an online marketing of its product three years back and at present the company boasts of 22,000 online customers who regularly place their orders to the company.