Kerala - Kochi   

Seaweed cultivation to be taken up on a commercial basis

KOCHI: Agency for Development of Aquaculture Kerala (Adak) is all set to introduce seaweed cultivation on a commercial scale in at least in three districts where experimental seaweed cultivation met with resounding success.

Adak sources said that by November the agency expected to start the post-monsoon season with the 25 tonnes of seeds available with it at Tangassery in Kollam. The pre-monsoon pilot projects from Kasargod to Thiruvananthapuram showed that cultivation might not be suited to all the areas.

The agency now plans to introduce commercial-scale cultivation in identified areas in Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts, sources said. Nearly a dozen spots have been identified for the next phase of seaweed cultivation. The agency had also experimented with seaweed cultivation in the backwaters off Ernakulam, Kannur and Padanna in Kasargod districts. However, the experiments in brackish waters did not produce satisfactory results.

Self-help groups which were involved in the experimental phase of seaweed cultivation would now be involved. Adak had provided both technical and financial backing for the experimental phase. Seaweed cultivation is being looked upon as a major source of income for traditional fishermen in the future.

It has been taken up on a major scale in Tamil Nadu backed by loans from the State Bank of India, Adak sources said. Seeds available with Adak now will be sufficient to start commercial production at the identified locations. Between 30 to 50 kg of seeds are needed for every 3x3-metre rafts. About Rs.15,000 is needed for setting up a farm with 10 3x3-metre rafts.

Seeds cost has been put at around Rs.4,000. The rafts can be used for over three years with proper maintenance and cost can be reduced considerably by using a portion of the seeds that are produced periodically.

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