The seaweed park includes promotion of seaweed cultivation in 136 coastal fishing villages in 6 coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and will involve and engage manpower of 8821 people.
On the third day of the Sagar Parikrama Phase VIII, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Parshottam Rupala laid the Foundation Stone for the establishment of Multi-Purpose Seaweed Park in Tamil Nadu. Minister of State, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Dr. L. Murugan, former Minister in the Government of India, Pon Radhakrishnan, Joint Secretary (Fisheries), GoI, Neetu Kumari Prasad, Chief Executive, National Fisheries, Development Board (NFDB), Dr. L. N. Murthy, Commissioner of Fisheries, Government of Tamil Nadu, Dr. K. S. Palanisamy, Collector of Ramanathapuram District, Thiru B. Vishnu Chandran and other key dignitaries were also present on the occasion. This begins a new chapter and is seen as a key strategic initiative to boost the seaweed sector in India.
Rupala informed the objectives of Seaweed Park namely seaweed cultivation for creation of employment opportunity for the coastal fisher youth and fisherwomen, development of value-added seaweed products by encouraging private sector/entrepreneurs and support them in setting up seaweed processing units in the proposed seaweed park, development of seaweed seed bank in collaboration with research institutes, universities, private entrepreneurs and fisheries department, exploration of untapped seaweed potential in the coastal districts of Tamil Nadu through scientific and traditional seaweed farming and development of R&D centres for production of quality seaweed.
The seaweed park includes promotion of seaweed cultivation in 136 coastal fishing villages in 6 coastal districts of Tamil Nadu namely Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Pudukottai, Ramanathapuram and Thoothukudi. It will involve and engage manpower of 8821 people to promote their livelihoods, establishment of tissue culture labs and R&D facilities, shore-based infrastructure facilities (drying yard, warehouse etc.), skill development and capacity building, storage and marketing facility, processing and value addition facility etc. The seaweed park will also provide a single window support for the entrepreneurs, processors etc. to access information on schemes, licenses/approvals required, while also providing space to set up processing centres.
In addition to promoting seaweed cultivation, the park will also focus on the conservation of marine ecosystems and will house an aquarium highlighting various marine species that rely on seaweed for survival. It is expected to attract tourists, researchers, and entrepreneurs interested in the potential of seaweed as a sustainable resource while serve as platform to create employment opportunities for local communities and contribute to the economic growth of Tamil Nadu. Therefore, Multipurpose Seaweed Park stands not just as a testament to human ingenuity, but as a promise to safeguard the delicate balance of our planet’s ecosystems.
