सबका साथ शुरवात के साथ

WATERLILY SEEDS FARMING Water lily seeds are the seeds extracted from water lily plant -Euryale ferox – only extinct species in the genus Euryale. These seeds are wrongly called Lotus seeds. Now the question arises- “What is the difference between Water lily seeds and Lotus seeds?” WATERLILY SEEDS:- · Family- Nymphaeaceae · It is also known as Makhana. · It is obtained from prickly water lily plant. · From plant species named as Euryale ferox Salisbury. · Stored in bulb of water lily flowers. · These seeds after harvest, after a series of events including sun drying, roasting, popping becomes light and crunchy snack. · These can be naturally processed- more alike to popcorn but corn free. · Eaten in India for centuries. LOTUS SEEDS:- · Family- Nelumbonaceae · It is also known as Kamal seeds. · It is obtained from Lotus plant. · From plant species named Nelumbo nuciferagaertner. · Stored in lotus’s emergent roots. · These seeds cannot be popped instead these are roasted or dried. Can be eaten. · Its hard shell is removed after harvest for roasting then they can be eaten. · Most common ingredient in Chinese herbal soups. Now the different names of popped water lily seeds are:- Makhana , foxnut , gorgon nut. Water lily seeds can be consumed in many different ways that is during fasting and celebrations. These can be consumed as puffed or popped snack, added to curry dishes, milk and even to salads or soups. No doubt, water lily seeds are full of nutrients. In addition, these seeds are gluten free, corn free, grain free, dairy free and vegan. Compared to popcorn, water lily seeds have 50% more protein, 67% less fat, 20% less calories. It is traditional and crunchy snack of India. These are pea-sized collected from water lilies when they shed their seeds annually. These are usually flavoured with ghee and species and during the hindu festival Navratri, makhana is usually eaten during fasting periods. Water lily seeds contains some minerals in appropriate quantities- Magnesium, Iron, Manganese, Potassium, Phosphorous, Copper. In the past 2 years, they become more available in US as healthy popcorn- esque snacks. Example of water lily seeds launched recently is Ashapops which have both – savory and sweet flavors. Benefits of Water lily seeds:- Water lily seeds are good for our body because these have high nutritive value that is very healthy for our body. Water lily seeds can be consumed as snacks, medicine as well as an ingredient in various Indian dishes. 1. Water lily seeds is good for the health of our heart therefore it contains various nutrients that keeps our heart strong and free from diseases. If any person have diseases related to heart like for example: hypertension – then he/she should eat makhana since due to high potassium and low sodium ; makhana will help to reduce blood pressure to normal level. 2. Also makhana improve the quality of our blood and oxygen in our body. Also helps to avoid heart diseases. 3. Water lily seeds also manages our blood sugar level because it contains high amount of protein and carbohydrates, Makhana also prevents obesity and diabetes. 4. Makhana detoxifies our body by keeping our spleen clean which helps us to boost our immune system since spleen filters and removes dead blood cells from our body. 5. It makes our bones strong and keeps it healthy so that we can do our daily life and intensive physical exercises easily and effectively since makhana is the source of Calcium and therefore helps to nourish our bones. 6. Also helps in weight loss. Adding an appropriate amount of lily seeds to our diet will help to reduce our some amount of weight. Makhana also detoxifies our liver, boosts our metabolism. It has low calories and saturated fats, have high fiber content. 7. It also flows down our ageing process that is acts as anti-ageing agent. If we eat makhana on a daily basis then due to its high nutritive and protein content, it makes our body better equipped to fight the effects of free radicals which keeps our skin soft and helps us to look younger. Also , makhana contains Kaempferol which also slows down the ageing process of our body. 8. Makhana also improve our mental health, helps in digestion and keeps our kidneys disease free. SEEDING OF WATER LILY SEEDS- Sow water lily seeds just after purchasing them or just after collecting them from plants in summer to increase its germination chances. If once these seeds got dry, they will not germinate. 1. Take water lily which is formed by crossing the parents artificially or naturally that is a ripening pod made by bees. A process known as bagging is to be done by using either zipped or twist-tied loosely around stem. 2. When pod ruptures, there is an accessory covering of certain seeds developed from seed stalk (in both angiosperms and gymnosperms) known as Aril surrounds seeds- helps in floating up of seeds into bag to reach surface of water. 3. Collect the bag, put the contents in any open container which have sufficient high amount of water. If we have to observe whether the seeds are still viable or not – then see small, white, tan, red seeds are not viable; whereas large, dark, gray, green, black seeds are viable. 4. After some days, aril and residual flower parts sheds off and viable seeds sinks down. 5. Store these tropical seeds in refrigerator or plant immediately. Seeds should be stored in warm water to keepit viable for a longer time period. 6. But these seeds can be sprouted in warm water therefore plant these seeds before they sprout that is storage period of these seeds in warm water is from storing to that time so that seeds are not sprouted. 7. Put layer of soil in bottom , add water, level and compact the soil. Then distribute the seeds evenly on layer of soil and do a light shower of white sand over the seeds 8. When seedlings are grown and have floating leaves- make sure to carefully dig them up and pot them individually. Now, after seed sowing of water lily seeds, fertilizing is one of the important step in growing of makhana. Fertilizing helps in producing strong plants with numerous flowers. Fertilize once a month. During 1 year- seedling only produce foliage. During 2 year- number of beautiful flowers on pond’s surface. It usually takes 3-4 weeks for lily seeds to germinate and it takes 6-8 weeks for plants to get mature. HARVESTING The harvesting process is time taking and requires skilled labors. Collection of seeds from plants of water lily is easy. After the flower gets mature, cover and tie the flower with cheesecloth or fabric bag. Once seed pod is burst, it gets opened and therefore collect the seeds into a clean container filled with water by shaking it. After a time period of 1 week remove all the non viable seeds (the seeds which are floating on surface of water). Then collect all the viable seeds ( the seeds which are sedimented on the bottom of water) and either plant them in the field or store it in cool place for future use. Storing in refrigerator that is place having low temperature is mandatory to avoid it from getting non viable. POTTING WATER LILIES AND LOTUS There are different potting instructions for tropical as well as hardy water lilies. For tropical water lilies; they should be planted once in a year, they become bare-root plants. Put it in the centre of container for further growth. For hardy water lilies, plant rhizome at 45 degree with growing tip in the centre of container. Cover the soil with sand or gravel. PRUNING Every flower of waterlily lasts for 3-5 days. They are diurnal that is open during day and closed at night. The flower will sink into the water once it gets finished. Various seeds, pots formed. It has costly seed production. Remove the dying flowers once they sink into the water. Also clean or remove dead and dying leaves by cutting or snapping it off. PROCESSING OF WATER LILY SEEDS The source these lily seeds are from farms in Bihar, India. Also we take it directly from farmers and also ensure fair wages to them. There is a sustainable and ethical supply chain and sourcing of highest – quality seeds. Also the cultivation of these lily seeds are purely sustainable since it does not harm our environment or eco system therefore this is a natural cycle. The puffing of lily seeds is necessary. These seeds are puffed mechanically that is with the use of special machines which has 2 units: Roasting unit – it has a thermal heating system with conveyor mechanism to pass roasted seeds to outlet. Popping unit – it breaks hard shell with the help of pressure which makes the roasted seeds pop. MARKETING There is increasing obsession for waterlilies throughout the world. Makhana is a high value commercial product cultivated in some major states like Bihar and few parts of eastern India. In some states makhana is a natural crop like Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jammu & Kashmir, Tripura and Manipur. Makhana market growth at CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) = 7% during 2019-2023. Demand of makhana market in United States and United Kingdom is unexplored which encourages new people to enter the market. Its demand is increasing day by day. It is also substituting the need of popcorn. Bihar produces more than 85% of makhana produced in country.The 2 flavors of foxnut introduces in India which changed its consumption in the particular region, the 2 flavors are- chatpata masala and classic homestyle. Global trends and scenario of foxnuts is seems to be increasing in India, China, United Kingdom and Columbia. There are number of businesses that are emerged to bring puffed water lily seeds to US, where majority of people prefer low-calorie snack instead of those unhealthy potato chip. Bohana is the seed snack brand of water lily, launched in 2018. Bohana was handpicked by pepsilo’s nutrition greenhouse project for investment. Since 2017, many other start-ups emerged and began to sell sweet and savory puffs in many flavors in the market. Ashapops brand started by mother-son duo Asha and Jai Farswani in 2017 therefore water lily seeds can fill the gap of low calories and nutrient-rich food.

Organic Farming is also known by names like Natural farming and Chemical-free farming. Organic farming is the method of farming, in which long-term stable production is achieved without polluting the groundwater and air while maintaining a clean natural balance of the environment. Organic farming is based on zero use chemical fertilizer. Farmers use organic manures and organic insecticides for the production of crops. It also includes animal husbandry, dairy farms, and poultry. The demand of organic products is high on the big cities. Now the peoples have become very conscious about their health. Objective: · To produce high-quality food grains in sufficient quantity. · Maintaining and increasing the long-term fertility of the soil. · Don’t allow any kind of pollution by agricultural produce. · Working with, rather than against nature. · Encourage and enhance the biological cycle of microorganisms, plants and animals in agriculture. · To maintain genetic agricultural diversity in and around the farming system. · Ensure the person engaged in agriculture, work in a safe environment. Benefits of Organic Farming: · Organic farming is a eco friendly and healthy for peoples. · The use of organic manures provides the ability to produce high productivity and good quality crops. · Provides all the essential nutrients required for the plants. · Improve plant growth and plant functional activities. · Organic farming is economically feasible for farmers. Chemical fertilizers are high in price. · The risk of pollution is very low and they have no residual effect. · Less energy is required for organic farming. · Less use of machines and the risk of crop failure are also very low. · Natural resources also have optimum utilization. · High prices of products, produced by organic farming.

Bees are the essential components of the environment. They play a vital role in preservation as well as in making a balanced ecosystem. A bee helps in the pollination of the crop and increases agricultural production. Also, their involvement in nature helps us to know about environmental conditions. With the presence of these natural indicators, one could take necessary measures for creating a healthy environment. Beekeeping is a beautiful technique that requires enough patience, courage and determination. Bringing the bees to the fields may generate another source of income for farmers. The art of working along with the bees is round year management. Bee management results in providing honey, wax, pollen and many other useful products. In addition to these, this low investment activity has the potential to provide employment to many. The bee family – Honeybees live in hives and mainly consist of three types of adult bees. A colony of these generally consists of a single queen, worker bees and hundreds of drones. • Queen Bee is the only sexually developed female. She lay drones and workers for the colony. • The worker bees are females which can’t be used for breeding purposes. Their responsibility is taking care of the queen and her eggs, collecting nectar, building comb, and many other activities. • The drones are the males used for mating purposes. They die soon after successful mating. Here’s a brief idea to set up your own beekeeping farm- Before starting, remember! • Choose the hive's location such that they are away from homes or areas used for recreation. • The hives should be near nectar and pollen sources along with freshwater sources. • Select a place away from predators, vandals and adverse weather conditions. • Select good quality bees. Things you need for the beekeeping • Beehives (man-made residents for the honey bees) • Bee harvesting gear (includes smokers, bee suit, bee gloves, gumboots, hive toolset) Starting with Bees Bees can be brought into the farms either by buying the already established colonies or by capturing the live swarms. The best time to begin with them is the springtime. The spring days have fruit trees and flowers in bloom that could supply the colony with sufficient nectar and pollen. (You should keep in mind that the bees are free from diseases) Honey bee Species- • Rock Bee • Little Bee • Indian Hive bee/ Asian bee • European bee / Italian bee • Dammer Bee What Bees Need? The bees require materials like nectar, pollen, propolis and water to live. They use nectar to produce honey. They utilize the pollen to create beebread (used for serving young bees). Propolis are necessary for sealing the cracks and making their hives water-resistant. Water is used as a cooling system for the hives. Avoid these while rearing:- • Administering antibiotics to the bees. • Spraying of pesticides or insecticides to the bee flora. • Fumigation of colonies except when honey is extracted. • Frequent change of hive sites.