India: Lakshadweep turns to seaweed farming to facilitate the development

Published Sep 7, 2021

Tridge summary

The Lakshadweep administration is focusing on seaweed farming as a new development for the islands, with technical support from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The initiative will benefit 100 families and has the potential to produce 30,000 tonnes of dry seaweed per year, worth Rs 75 crore, according to CMFRI studies. The farming of seaweed is expected to provide a climate-resilient livelihood and sequester carbon dioxide, with further studies being conducted by CMFRI and the Lakshadweep Krishi Vigyan Kendra.

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Original content

Kochi– After fisheries, coconut and tourism, the Lakshadweep administration has prioritised seaweed farming as the next major development driver of the islands.A demonstration farming of seaweed was launched in nine inhabited islands of Lakshadweep with the technical support of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the Kochi headquartered Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).The large-scale initiative is in line with a CMFRI study that revealed immense potential for production of quality seaweeds in serene and pollution-free lagoons of Lakshadweep for high-end utilisation like the pharmaceuticals, food and nutraceuticals.The indigenous red algae, Gracilaria edulis and Acanthophora spicifera are the species being farmed in nearly 2,500 bamboo rafts benefitting 100 families belonging to 10 women self-help groups in different islands.CMFRI scientist K. Mohammed Koya said the island is known for its unique tuna fisheries and myriads of beautiful corals, ...

Source: Indianewengland