Madhya Pradesh man strikes gold by exporting seeds of wild monsoon plant to China, Vietnam

Charota, a wild plant found on the side of the road during monsoon has become an export success for Makendra Satpute who is exporting the seeds of this plant to China, Japan, and Vietnam.

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Makendra Satpute, a young entrepreneur from Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh has made a fortune by successfully exporting Charota seeds, to China, Japan, and Vietnam. These seeds are grown on the side of the road during the monsoon. Although this wild, leafy monsoon plant has little value in India, it has gained huge popularity in these countries.

In the last two years, Satpute has successfully exported 750 quintals of Charota seeds to China and Vietnam. He has recently secured an impressive export order from China as the seeds have a massive market demand there. He will now deliver 2000 metric tonnes of Charota seeds to China. In a conversation with ETV Bharat, Makendra Satpute said, "This wild leafy plant thrives naturally in open lands and cannot be cultivated on farms. In India, the tribals eat the leaves of this plant, but the seeds are used less here."

Satpute further said, "Earlier, I used to buy Charota from areas of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha and sell them in Gujarat. But, two years back, I took an export licence and started exporting these seeds to Vietnam, China, and Japan. These seeds are in huge demand there and are sold almost for Rs 45 per Kg. As they like the quality of the seeds, I have now received an order to export 2000 metric tonnes of Charota seeds to China. This is a huge success for me." Satpute has now engaged local tribals to extract the seeds from the plants

Satpute also said that Charota seeds are used in China as a beverage. These seeds are also known for their medicinal uses. These plants are found in abundance in Madhya Pradesh which will be beneficial for the local tribals here. He also said that India produces 60,000 metric tonnes of Charots seeds but only 25,000 metric is used as people are not aware of its benefits.

Meanwhile, Ayurvedic expert Dr Shashank Jha said, "Charota plant has many Ayurvedic properties. It is considered beneficial to boost immunity. It is also very helpful to cure skin-related problems."