Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos) will be a key partner in a multi-country global research project on preventing diseases in shrimp farms and boosting aquaculture production in Afro-Asian countries.
A statement issued by Kufos said that the Department of Biotechnology, government of India, had selected Kufos as a partner in the global joint research project for the benefit of small-scale aqua farmers in Asia and Africa. The United Kingdom, Bangladesh and Kenya are the other countries involved in the research project.
The project will be implemented through the U.K.-based Global Research Partnership (GRP), a research programme in partnership with the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council, the U.K., and the Department of Biotechnology, India, supported by the Department for International Development, the U.K.
The research is mainly aimed at validating preventive medicines available in the market for shrimp diseases and developing new low-cost products. The prophylactic health products (PHP), which are widely being used all over the world to prevent diseases, will be validated, said the press release. The scientists in the project will work on the pros and cons of the existing products and will modify them according to the regional conditions, primarily focusing on the profitability of small holder farmers. Standardised assessment procedures of prophylactic health management capacity will also be developed in addition to improving regulation of commercial PHPs, the press release added. The Cochin University of Science and Technology and the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology are the other partners in the project from India.
