Kerala - Alappuzha   

MPEDA to start organic prawn farming project

Staff Reporter

Initiative to facilitate export of prawn

ALAPPUZHA: The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) in association with the Kuttanad Vikasana Samithy (KVS) will implement a freshwater organic prawn-farming project. This is said to be the first such venture in the country.

The project will be part of the MPEDA's ongoing India Organic Aquaculture Project. It will help in obtaining organic certification for freshwater prawns

cultivated in Kuttanad as part of the `One Paddy, One Prawn' rotational system. Paddy was given organic certification earlier this year. For prawns, the certification, expected to start with the next year's crop, could mean a 25 per cent to 50 per cent rise in prices.

KVS executive director Fr. Thomas Peelianickal told The Hindu that the project would be implemented utilising facilities offered by a tie-up between the MPEDA and Switzerland-based Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO).

This will facilitate export of organic prawn cultivated in Kuttanad, he said.

The first batch of certified organic freshwater prawn will be harvested from 15 acres, divided into two 'padasekharams' (polders) of 10 acres and five

acres each. The two padasekharams have already been certified as organic for paddy cultivation. Fr. Peelianickal said the aim was to expand the cultivation area to 500 acres over the next five years.

Technical guidance and assistance for marketing the prawns would come from SIPPO, which would also help in procuring organic pellet feed for the prawns.

A team from SIPPO had visited Kuttanad and inspected the feasibility of the project, Fr. Peelianickal said.

A meeting of MPEDA officials and farmers under the KVS experimental project for `One Paddy, One Fish/Prawn' rotational cultivation system discussed the project at its meeting here on Saturday.

The KVS experiment in organic paddy farming in the 15-acre padasekharams, meanwhile, was yielding good results, Fr. Peelianickal said.

The KVS brought the organic paddy from farmers at Rs.1,200 per quintal, in contrast to Rs.850 that is given for the regular crop by the State Government.

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