MoU to create market linkage or the CIBA mentored seaweed farmers to sell the cultivated indigenous brackishwater seaweed species
ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, Chennai signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with M/s. Pinnacle Bioscience, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu to create market linkage for the CIBA mentored seaweed farmers to sell the cultivated indigenous brackishwater seaweed species.
Kuldeep K Lal, Director, ICAR-CIBA emphasised the importance of seaweed cultivation as a viable livelihood option, a rich source of nutritious food, and a major solution for the bioremediation of waterbodies. He further briefed about the minerals and nutrients available in seaweeds and the importance given to seaweed culture under the PMMSY scheme.
Burosothaman, Research Fellow, M/s. Pinnacle Bioscience added that seaweeds being nutrient rich have high value when converted into energy products, biofertilisers, and food products. He said demand for seaweeds is very high in the industrial sector as the seaweeds contribute greatly to manufacture agar, alginate, food additives, fertiliser and medicine and there is lack of seaweed availability to meet the demand.
P Nila Rekha, Principal Scientist and team leader briefly outlined the genesis of the brackishwater seaweed culture starting from bioremediation in shrimp farm discharge water, biofliter for RAS and standardisation of culture practices for indigeneous seaweed Agarophyton tenuistipitata.
