Ramanathapuram
Jitendra Kumar, advisor to member, NITI Aayog, inspected seaweed cultivation in the coastal areas of Mandapam and Rameswaram island on Sunday and held discussions with stakeholders to formulate a ‘plan of action’ for promotion of seaweed cultivation in the Palk Bay region.
A day after holding discussions with K. Gopal, Principal Secretary, Fisheries Department in Chennai, Mr Kumar inspected seaweed cultivation at Olaikuda and Munaikadu in the island and interacted with the stakeholders.
He was accompanied by Collector K Veera Raghava Rao, CMFRI Director A Gopalakrishnan, CSMCRI Director Amitava Das and Fisheries Director G.S. Sameeran among others.
Mr. Kumar inspected the seaweed cultivation, the value addition process and seaweed seedling production facility mainly to work out an action plan to promote seaweed cultivation in the region with facilities to produce value added products and providing marketing linkages.
Describing seaweed cultivation as the best economic activity, Mr Kumar said NITI Aayog intended to work with the State government to promote seaweed cultivation for the benefit of people in the region while addressing the ecological concerns.
“We will see how best we can utilise the potential to the maximum in a sustainable manner,” he said.
Pointing that ecology had long time benefits for the people he said the officials would take a holistic view while promoting seaweed cultivation. “We will see both economic benefits and ecological concerns and take a balanced view,” he added. Later, Mr Kumar visited the CSIR-CSMCRI Marine Algal Research Station (MARS) and inspected the making of seaweed by-products.
Supported by the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) and Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department has already launched training programme for seaweed cultivation using raft methodology and started distributing bamboo rafts to fisherwomen and groups.
The Department had also set up Sap extraction units in tie up with Marine Algal Research Station for making value added products, officials said. Additional Director of Fisheries Johny Tom Varghese, Scientist in-charge, CMFRI, Mandapam R Jayakumar, Senior Principal Scientist, CSMCRI, MARS, Mandapam K Easwaran and Deputy Director of Fisheries E Kathavarayan were among others present.
