Parliament Question: Promotion of Seaweed Farming

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4163 TO BE ANSWERED ON 19TH AUGUST, 2025 Promotion of Seaweed Farming

4163. Shri Praveen Patel:

Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara:

Shri Ravindra Shukla Alias Ravi Kishan:

Smt. Kamaljeet Sehrawat:

Will the Minister of FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING be pleased

to state:

(a) the details and initiatives and financial assistance provided by the Government under the Pradhan Mantri Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) to promote seaweed farming, including the total funds earmarked and utilized for this purpose since the inception of scheme;

(b) the details of the infrastructure being developed to support the seaweed projects/farming sector under PMMSY like Palghar district in Maharashtra;

(c) the targeted seaweed production to be achieved in the next five years and the initiatives being taken by the Government to promote research in developing new cultivation techniques to meet these targets; and

(d) the estimated number of employment opportunities, particularly for coastal communities and women, that are expected to be generated by the seaweed cultivation and processing sector over the next five years? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING (SHRI GEORGE KURIAN)

(a) to (d): Indian coastline of 11,099 km with favourable conditions has immense potential for seaweed cultivation. The Research Institutions have identified 384 sites covering 24,707 hectares across the coastline of India, as suitable for seaweed cultivation. As per ICAR- Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), India has a potential seaweed production capacity of about 9.7 million tonnes annually. The Department of Fisheries, Government of India (DoF, GoI) is implementing a flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and seaweed cultivation is one of the priority activity identified under the PMMSY to support employment generation and additional source of income to fishermen and coastal communities. The PMMSY inter-alia envisages support towards seaweed cultivation and its related activities, which are under implementation in the coastal States/Union Territories (UTs). Under the PMMSY, during last 5 years (2020-25) the projects worth ₹195 crore have been approved, including the establishment of a Seaweed Park (₹127.71 crore) in Tamil Nadu.Besides, financial assistance is provided under PMMSY for installation of seaweed culture units (rafts, monoline/tubenet systems), establishment of seaweed seed banks, post-harvest facilities such as drying platforms, baling units and storage godowns, laboratories for water testing and germplasm quarantine, and training complexes with incubation centres, pre- feasibility assessment studies, awareness creation, training and capacity building programs in various States/Union Territories (UTs). Furthermore, Lakshadweep has been notified as a Seaweed Cluster, and the Mandapam Regional Centre of the ICAR-CMFRI has been notified as the Centre of Excellence for promoting seaweed farming, training and research activities.

The Guidelines for import of seaweed germplasm have been issued by the DoF, GoI.

Besides, the NITI Ayog has released a Seaweed Policy Report for the overall development of this promising sector in the country. An Institutional mechanism has been established by the DoF, GoI in the form of an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) and the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Seaweed Development for coordinated development of this important sector in the country. As a result of these initiatives, the seaweed production has increased from 18,890 tonnes in 2015 to 74,083 tonnes in 2024.

In Maharashtra, support is provided under PMMSY for installation of 1,000 seaweed rafts. A project worth ₹121.31 lakh has been approved under PMMSY to CSIR- Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) on ‘Strategies to initiate seaweed cultivation along the coast of Maharashtra’. The survey of 35 sites has been completed in Maharashtra and pre-feasibility studies were conducted at 7 sites by the CSIR-CSMCRI. The Government is promoting advanced cultivation techniques through tissue/spore culture, establishing multi- species seed banks, facilitating import of quality germplasm, and strengthening R&D through ICAR-CMFRI Centre of Excellence, CSIR-CSMCRI, National Institute of Ocean Technology

(NIOT), and National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), etc.

Under various initiatives for promotion of seaweed cultivation, its processing and value chain, significant numbers of fishermen and coastal communities have been benefitted. In Tamil Nadu, under the Multipurpose Seaweed Park project, 136 coastal villages with fishermen cooperative societies comprising 1,22,977 members have been identified, of whom 2,053 are actively engaged in seaweed farming. In Gujarat’s Kori Creek projects launched in September 2023, 1,182 locals (about 45% women) from 17 villages received training, alongside 250 villagers from 10 villages trained at Lakki Village. CSIR-CSMCRI has trained 2,529 stakeholders in cultivation and processing technology from 2017–2025, while ICAR- CMFRI has conducted 150 training programs on seaweed cultivation for over 12,800 fishing and other coastal communities along the Indian coast during last five years. Additionally, 230 farmers in Tamil Nadu were trained in tissue culture seedling production, and 220 fishers in Andaman & Nicobar Islands received hands-on training and demonstrations.

The seaweed cultivation and processing sector is expected to generate significant employment opportunities for coastal communities, particularly women, through expansion of farming, post-harvest handling, and value-addition activities in the coming years.

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