Which is the most expensive vegetable in India?

Hop shoots are the most expensive vegetable in India, selling for anywhere between ₹85,000 and ₹1,00,000 per kilogram. They're grown by only a handful of farmers, most notably Amresh Singh of Karamdih village in Bihar's Aurangabad district, who pioneered their cultivation in the country.

What Exactly Are Hop Shoots?

Hop shoots are the young, tender tips of the Humulus lupulus plant — the same climbing vine used to flavor beer worldwide. In India, though, they're grown not for brewing but as a rare culinary vegetable, harvested while still soft enough to cook like asparagus.

The plant itself is a perennial climber that can live for up to 20 years and grow as tall as 6 meters. It's native to Europe and North America, and for centuries it was dismissed as a weed — until people discovered its medicinal value.

Why Do Hop Shoots Cost So Much?

A few factors push the price this high:

• Unpredictable growth — Hop shoots sprout spontaneously on the vine rather than on a fixed schedule, so farmers can't simply "plan" a harvest.

• Extremely short shelf life — They must be cooked and eaten almost immediately after picking, since they don't store or travel well.

• Tiny harvest window — The shoots appear only briefly in early spring, and gathering even a small bunch takes significant manual labor.

• Near-zero domestic supply — India has only a few known growers, so almost all demand is met through special orders rather than open markets.

The Bihar Farmer Behind India's Hop Shoot Story

Amresh Singh brought hop shoot saplings from the Indian Institute of Vegetable Research in Varanasi and began experimenting with cultivation on his own land. His efforts drew national attention after IAS officer Supriya Sahu shared photos of his farm on social media, calling the crop a potential game-changer for Indian agriculture. In 2021, Singh reportedly sold his harvest for close to ₹85,000 per kilogram — a price close to what hop shoots fetch in European markets like Belgium and the Netherlands, where the vegetable is more established.

How Hop Shoots Compare to Other "Luxury" Foods

Note: Saffron and truffles are often grouped with "luxury foods," but botanically saffron is a spice (a flower stigma) rather than a vegetable, which is why hop shoots hold the title specifically for vegetables.