Biodiversity of Bihar

Bihar's agricultural biodiversity — cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fruits, flowers, vegetables, spices, livestock and fishery. Content and images coming soon.

cereal

cereal

Bihar grows GI-tagged and traditional aromatic rice landraces including Katarni, Marcha, Tulsi Manjari and Champaran Basmati, alongside wheat and maize as staple cereal crops. These rice varieties, prized for aroma and flavour, are concentrated in specific districts tied to their GI recognition.

Concentrated in specific GI-recognised districts statewide

Pulses

Pulses

Arhar (pigeon pea), moong, masoor and chana are widely grown pulse crops across Bihar's Rabi and Kharif cropping seasons. As nitrogen-fixing legumes, pulses also improve soil fertility, making them an important rotation crop alongside cereals.

Rabi and Kharif cropping across Bihar

Oilseeds

Oilseeds

Mustard (sarson) is Bihar's dominant Rabi-season oilseed crop, grown widely across the state's plains alongside smaller areas of linseed and sesame. Oilseed cultivation is an important source of both cooking oil and rural income across Bihar's farming districts.

Rabi-season farmland statewide

Fruits

Fruits

Bihar's fruit basket is anchored by two GI-tagged crops — Zardalu mango from Bhagalpur and Shahi litchi from Muzaffarpur — alongside guava, banana and other fruits grown across the state. These crops support both local consumption and a significant export trade.

Bhagalpur (mango) and Muzaffarpur (litchi) belts, statewide fruit cultivation

Flowers

Flowers

Commercial flower cultivation — marigold, gladiolus and rose among the leading crops — has expanded around Bihar's peri-urban and semi-urban areas, meeting demand for festivals, weddings and daily worship. Floriculture provides an increasingly important cash-crop option for smallholder farmers.

Peri-urban and semi-urban areas statewide

Vegetables

Vegetables

Bihar grows a diverse vegetable basket including brinjal, cauliflower, okra, tomato and potato across its fertile plains. Vegetable cultivation is intensive around urban centres, supplying both local markets and other states with fresh produce.

Fertile plains, intensive around urban centres

Spices

Spices

Chilli, coriander and the betel leaf used in Bihar's GI-tagged Magahi Paan are among the state's notable spice and flavouring crops. Grown in smaller, often intensively managed plots, these crops add significant value per unit area compared to staple grains.

Smaller intensively managed plots, notably the Magadh region for Paan

Livestock

Livestock

Indigenous breeds including Bachaur and Gangatiri cattle, Murrah buffalo and Black Bengal goat sustain rural livelihoods across Bihar. Well-adapted to local conditions, these breeds represent a genetic resource of agricultural biodiversity alongside crops and wild species.

Rural districts statewide

Fishery

Fishery

Bihar's extensive network of rivers, oxbow lakes (chaurs) and ponds supports diverse inland fisheries, with indigenous fish varieties central to local diets and livelihoods, particularly across the Mithila and Kosi regions. This traditional pisciculture represents a significant genetic resource of agricultural biodiversity alongside crops and livestock.

Rivers, chaurs and ponds across the Mithila and Kosi regions