AP To Start Seaweed Farming As Pilot Project In Konaseema
The fisheries and CMRFI authorities will train 25 fishermen and 10 department staff members on taking up seaweed farming initially so that they will in turn bring about awareness to others.
Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh government will take up seaweed farming in the sea as a pilot project in B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district. It is expected to start in the second week of June given the huge demand for its byproducts mainly in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries and also having good employment potential for local fishermen.
The fisheries department with the support from district collector R. Mahesh Kumar and with the technical expertise from the Tamil Nadu based Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, has come up with the pilot project.
Accordingly, the fisheries authorities have identified four best suitable locations with one in the backwater at the sea mouth while the remaining three are in the sea. They have selected three types of species for culture and they are: kappaphycus, gracilaria salicornia and gracilaria edulis.
The authorities arrange bamboo rafts (3x3 meters) in the sea water with four sides attached with weights so that they will float in the sea water without getting washed away due to the high/low tides. People have to reach the structure every day to clean it to avoid any sticky substances so that the seaweed gets exposed to the sunlight. Water with above 25 ppt salinity is suitable for culture of seaweed in the sea water.
The fisheries and CMRFI authorities will train 25 fishermen and 10 department staff members on taking up seaweed farming initially so that they will in turn bring about awareness to others.
Konaseema district fisheries officer P.V Srinivasa Rao said, “We are taking up seaweed farming as a pilot project with varieties of species aimed for industrial needs and the cost factor and other details are in the process of getting finalised.”
Meanwhile, apart from using seaweed byproducts for industrial needs, its waste can also be used as a feed for cattle and also in aqua industry. Moreover, some species of seaweed are also used for human consumption in Japan and other nations.
The authorities say that entrepreneurs can forward and invest some Rs 10-20 lakh to install machinery for extraction of byproducts from the seaweed so that they can market it for further processing and earn good revenue.
Earlier, experts from CMRFI and district officials inspected suitable places located in the villages of Katrenikona, Uppalaguptam, Mamidikuduru and Sahinetipalli mandals in the district to finalise for taking up the project.