Centre to promote seaweed culture

Steps taken to identify places to set up units

Union MoS for Fisheries Dr. L. Murugan releasing a publicity material on NFDB programmes in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Information & Broadcasting Dr. L. Murugan has stated that seaweed culture is being promoted across the country in a big way and steps were being taken to identify places for establishing such units.

Speaking after visiting the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) here on Sunday, the Union Minister said that seaweed culture and cage aquaculture were new age techniques that were being promoted under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) for the empowerment of fishermen, particularly women.

Fishermen empowerment

“There is a great demand for seaweed in the country and abroad, since it has several medicinal properties. Seaweed cultivation helps empowerment of the fishing community, particularly,” he said, adding that a seaweed economic park was coming up in Tamil Nadu. More such parks would be established across the country, the Union Minister said while speaking to the media after reviewing the activities of NFDB and inaugurating new activities funded and implemented by the board.

The Union government was working out strategies to drastically increase earning from fishing and with an eye on boasting fishing activities, the Centre had allocated ₹20,000 crore under Aatma Nirbhar Bharat for developing among others, landing centres, fishing harbours, processing units and cold storages. Besides encouraging new age fishing techniques, the Centre was also supporting inland fishing and was keen on increasing export of fish through projects proposed under PMMSY, Dr. Murugan said.

KCC to fishermen

Dr. Murugan stated that every fisherman would be issued Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) soon. The standard operating procedures were being prepared and the proposals were in the advanced stage of consideration of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, he explained.

Further, he stated that the foundation stone would be laid soon for five fishing harbours with international standards as announced in the annual budget 2021-22. They were proposed at Kochi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam and Paradeep.

Earlier, the Union Minister, virtually, launched a giant freshwater prawn hatchery established at College of Fisheries in Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University (RPCAU) at Dholi in Bihar with NFDB funding. He felicitated the award winners of a recipe competition organised by NFDB in connection with ‘Poshan Maah’ (nutrition month) 2021. Among the winners was Shravani from Telangana who won the third prize.