The Hindu Business Line : MPEDA stepping up thrust on aquaculture tech

New Delhi, Sept. 26 The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) is intensifying efforts to foster aquaculture technologies on export-oriented species with the twin objectives of enabling more employment opportunities in the rural sector and generating valuable foreign exchange for the country.

Official sources told Business Line here that though the extant level of export-oriented aquaculture remains fixated on just two varieties of shell fishes, such as marine shrimp and freshwater prawn (scampi), their contribution in the total production of 25 lakh tonnes is only two lakh tonnes, which is around 9.5 per cent. Rest of the production comprises freshwater fishes, which are consumed locally in whole form without much value addition.

The sources said the 9.5 per cent aquaculture production of shrimp and scampi generate enormous employment opportunities in the rural sector in farm management, hatchery production of seeds, feed mills, pre-processing, export processing and marketing sectors, besides fetching around $1 billion by way of foreign exchange.

Marine finfish market

They said that unlike Indian freshwater fishes such as Indian major carps, marine finfishes with distribution in Indian seas such as Asian Sea bass, cobia, groupers, butter fish, Indian halibut command substantial export and domestic market potential, especially as value added items. Of the global marine finfish market worth over $5 billion, India’s contribution is almost negligible.

When contacted about this paradox, the Minister of State for Commerce, Mr Jairam Ramesh, told Business Line here that the major players include China, South-East Asian countries, Europe, Australia and Norway.

But, India could not make any tangible presence as on date, despite the natural distribution of high value marine finfishes in Indian seas, availability of vast stretches of water bodies suitable for aquaculture, best tropical aqua climatic conditions, best entrepreneurship and good infrastructure facilities for processing and export, he added.

Lack of tech

Since lack of technology development is the main obstacle for diversification, the Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA), set up under the administrative control of MPEDA, has successfully developed commercial farming technology for Asian Sea bass, a native marine finfish with excellent market potential, Mr Ramesh said.

RGCA has developed the technology on hatchery production of seed at its hatchery set up at Thoduvai, Nagapattinam district, and millions of quality seeds of Sea bass are produced and purveyed to farmers of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra, Mr Ramesh said.

Open vs cage culture

Officials said currently RGCA is in the process of streamlining the open pond culture system and culture of sea bass in cages in ponds in its demonstration farm at Karaikkal. The cage culture has better advantages compared to open system as it enables optimum utilisation of area, best feed conversion and ease of harvest with uniform sized fishes. RGCA has also successfully completed the demonstration of the technology to produce 10 tonnes of sea bass fish from one hectare area through cage culture for the first time in the country.

Mr Ramesh described this as a “noteworthy breakthrough” that would trigger interest among farmers to take up Sea bass farming on a larger scale for export.

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