PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 28 -- Farmers in Prayagraj are set to take up makhana (fox nut) cultivation for the first time as the horticulture department seeks to promote crop diversification and encourage cultivation of high-value commercial crops. The department has selected 100 farmers for specialised training in makhana cultivation and plans to bring 28 hectares of pond area under the crop in the first phase under the Makhana Development Scheme, officials said. District horticulture officer Mewa Ram said makhana cultivation was being introduced in the district as part of efforts to promote innovation in horticulture and provide farmers with an alternative to conventional crops. "The aim is to encourage farmers to move beyond traditional crops and adopt commercial crops that can offer better returns," he said. According to the department, around 52 hectares in Prayagraj will be covered under makhana cultivation this year, with 100 farmers included in the initial phase. The crop will be grown using the pond method, while farmers will also be trained in cultivation techniques. Prayagraj has more than 600 ponds, many of which are currently used for singhara (water chestnut) cultivation or fish farming. Besides, waterlogged land along canals is also considered suitable for makhana cultivation. The department plans to introduce the crop on both types of land. The ICAR-developed "Swarna Vaidehi" variety has been found suitable for Prayagraj's climatic conditions, officials said. The variety is disease-resistant and is claimed to produce nearly 1.5 times the yield of traditional makhana varieties. Makhana cultivation is currently being undertaken on around 625 hectares across Uttar Pradesh, particularly in districts such as Gorakhpur, Deoria, Kushinagar, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur and Bahraich. With its expansion to Prayagraj, officials expect the crop to gradually replace singhara as a commercial aquatic crop in suitable areas. Under the state horticulture and food processing department's scheme, a farmer cultivating makhana on one hectare of his own pond will receive a subsidy of Rs.71,600 against an estimated cultivation cost of around Rs.1.80 lakh per hectare. Farmers opting to cultivate makhana on waterlogged fields near canals will be eligible for a subsidy of Rs.54,000 per hectare, Mewa Ram said. The department is also arranging specialised training for farmers. In the first phase, a group of 50 farmers will be sent to Bhagalpur in Bihar to learn makhana cultivation techniques, officials said. The initiative comes amid rising input costs and increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns, which have made conventional farming more challenging. Officials said promoting alternative, high-value crops was intended to help farmers reduce cultivation risks and improve their income....