DARBHANGA, Oct. 26 -- BJP MP from Darbhanga Gopal Jee Thakur on Sunday said he would make efforts to establish the headquarters of the newly formed National Makhana Board in Darbhanga, citing the city's strategic suitability and the extensive existing infrastructure of the National Research Centre for Makhana's (NRCM) as primary reasons why Darbhanga is the ideal location for the board's operations. Addressing the National Makhana Festival 2026, organised by the NRCM on the occasion of Sharad Purnima, which coincides with the Mithila festival of Kojagra, Thakur also said a proposal to observe the occasion as National Makhana Day was pending with the Union home ministry and that he would pursue the matter for an early resolution. The MP inaugurated the festival by lighting the ceremonial lamp at the NRCM campus in Darbhanga in the presence of former MLA Amarnath Gami, agricultural scientists, farmers and other participants. Thakur said makhana, traditionally associated with the Mithila region, had gained wider recognition, including in international markets. He highlighted its potential to improve farmers' incomes and contribute to public health. The festival provided a platform for scientists and stakeholders to discuss makhana production, processing, exports and the adoption of new technologies to reduce labour-intensive operations. Speakers at the event called for extending crop insurance and minimum support price (MSP) benefits to makhana growers, on the lines of other agricultural crops, to protect farmers against production risks and ensure better returns. NRCM director Nachiketa Kotwaliwale said the centre, in collaboration with the ICAR-Central Institute of Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology (CIPHET), had successfully tested several machines for makhana processing, helping reduce the labour required at different stages. A prototype machine for extracting makhana kernels, locally referred to as guri, had also been developed, he said, highlighting the scope for further mechanisation of the sector. The adoption of such technologies could help address labour constraints and improve the efficiency of post-harvest operations, an important consideration as demand for processed makhana grows. Director of the National Research Centre for Litchi, Bikash Das, raised concerns over declining soil organic carbon levels in the region. He attributed the problem to repeated tillage undertaken to remove grass....