How ‘Hop Shoots’ can be a game changer for Farmers in India

Hop Shoots, world’s costliest vegetable is again in news after an IAS officer posted a collage of 2 pictures and tweeted: ''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.'' Soon after that, people started tweeting about 'hop shoots' on social media.

*The tweet by IAS officer has been removed from twitter following conflicting reports on hop shoots cultivation by farmer in Bihar.

What are hop shoots?

The hop – known as humulus lupulus is a perennial plant. It is a native of Europe and North America, and were believed to be a weed till its properties were known. As per agriculture experts, hop shoots have 'antibacterial effects & are used for bittering, flavouring & as stability agent in beer.

Farmers can earn really good income by growing hop shoots. But for that they will need basic know knowledge and guidance about hop shoots cultivation.

Why hop shoots are so costly?

An article in theguardian.com says the hop shoots are absolutely backbreaking to harvest and thus costs high. The weed-like tendrils grow randomly and one has to hunch, hunt around & they are so small so you need to pick hundreds to fill a carrier bag.

The article also says that the hop shoot leaves take on a kale-like quality after it is cooked. In addition, there are festivals that celebrate hop shoots like the London Hop Shoot Festival.