With the use of the latest technology and fiscal incentives, India’s seafood sector can tap its potential of emerging as a mariculture hub, said Grinson George, director of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), on Saturday.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a training programme for fish farmers at the Kerala-based CMFRI, which kicked-off the nationwide launch of the central government’s Pradhan Mantri Dhan Dhanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), George said India’s domestic demand for seafood is growing rapidly, which can only be met if the country increased its mariculture production from the current 1.5 lakh tonnes to 25 lakh tonnes by 2047.
“Due to climate change and resource depletion, the country needs to explore alternative systems such as mariculture to increase marine fish production. To meet the growing seafood demand, at least 25 lakh tonnes of mariculture production is targeted by 2047,” George said in a press release statement.
Mariculture is a specialised branch of aquaculture that involves cultivation of marine animals like fish, shellfish and seaweed in saltwater environments such as the sea, coastal waters or enclosed tanks using seawater.
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George said mariculture is the next big thing in India’s marine fisheries sector, and that various technologies such as cage culture and Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) could be utilised to increase marine fish production from the current average of 35 lakh tonnes produced from marine capture fisheries annually.
Both mariculture and seaweed farming, said the CMFRI director, will need advanced technologies, which the institute has developed, and which are suited to Indian conditions to enhance productivity and fishermen livelihood opportunities.
“While the global seaweed production stands at 3.55 crore tonnes, India’s production remains very low. At least 50 lakh tonnes of domestic seaweed production could be achieved by the country to meet the growing industrial and nutraceutical demand”, he added.
India’s vast coastline and favourable marine conditions can be tapped into, said George, adding that these give India the natural potential and scientific capability to emerge as a global mariculture hub.
“If we adopt modern technologies and develop a strong policy framework, mariculture can transform the economic landscape of coastal India,” he said, as per the release, and pointed out to the need for a national mariculture policy and supportive legal framework to promote sustainable, large-scale investment and systematic growth in this sector.
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