342 SITES FOR SEAWEED FARMING IDENTIFIED, 9.7 MN TONNES

Thiruvananthapuram, July 27 (UNI) While the country cultivated around 34,000 tonnes of seaweed in 2021, the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has identified 342 farming sites for its cultivation, totaling over 24,167 hectares with a production potential of 9.7 million tonnes (wet weight) per year, an official said on Wednesday.ICAR-CMFRI Director, Dr. A. Gopalakrish- nan, in his address at a national campaign on ‘Non- conventional Aquaculture Systems’, organized by the CMFRI as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, cited the global production of 35 million tonnes, worth $16.5 billion in 2022 so far, to show India is far behind.

“The country is taking all measures to boost its pro- duction as the Centre has earmarked Rs. 640 crores exclusively to promote seaweed culture with a targeted production of more than 11.2 lakh tonnes by 2025, under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY),” he said. “The CMFRI has successfully standardized the practice of Integrated Multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) which enables cage farming or bivalve farming along with seaweed farming in coastal waters. Seaweed farming can earn carbon credits in many ways,” he added.