Wait, What: Bihars Rs 1 Lakh Per Kg Vegetable Was All A Lie – Report Claims

Remember the story claiming ‘hop shoots’ being cultivated by a farmer in Bihar and sold for INR 1 lakh per kg? A recent report claims that it was all a big lie. Yes, you read it right. Recently, news on the cultivation of the ‘world’s costliest vegetable’ in Bihar went viral on social media after an IAS officer tweeted about it. “One kilogram of this vegetable costs about Rs. 1 lakh! The world’s costliest vegetable, ‘hop shoots are being cultivated by Amresh Singh, an enterprising farmer from Bihar, the first one in India. Can be a game-changer for Indian farmers,” IAS officer Supriya Sahu tweeted on March 31, along with two photos. The tweet received over 20k likes and thousands of views.

One kilogram of this vegetable costs about Rs 1 lakh ! World’s costliest vegetable,’hop-shoots’ is being cultivated by Amresh Singh an enterprising farmer from Bihar, the first one in India. Can be a game changer for Indian farmers ????https://t.co/7pKEYLn2Wa@PMOIndia#hopshootspic.twitter.com/4FCvVCdG1m— Supriya Sahu IAS (@supriyasahuias) March 31, 2021

But when a team from Hindi news daily – Dainik Jagran – visited Amresh Singh in Bihar, they found that no such crop was being cultivated there. When asked the locals, they informed that they never heard of any such crop being grown in that area. During the course of investigation by the daily, Mr. Sigh reportedly said the crop was in Nalanda district (172 kilometers away from his village); and when the team visited Nalanda, the former said it was in Aurangabad. Upon inquiring the District Magistrate of Aurangabad, Saurabh Jorwal, Dainik Jagaran found that there was no such cultivation in Aurangabad district too.

The daily further reports that Mr. Singh had grown black rice and wheat in the past, but there was no sign of hop shoots cultivation.  

For the unversed, hop shoot are native to North American and Europe. According to several studies, every part of the plant – right from the fruit, flower to the stem – has multiple usages. This vegetable is also touted to be rich in antioxidants that may further promote healthy skin, alleviate anxiety, insomnia, and more.