Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 3: The Department of Fisheries, A&N Administration, with the technical support of NIOT-ACOSTI under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, commenced a 45-day Field Training Programme on ‘Seaweed Cultivation and Processing’ today at the NIOT Campus, Dollygunj. The programme has been designed with the primary objective of creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for coastal communities, with a special focus on empowering Self-Help Group (SHG) members. The SHG members, jointly identified by the Rural Development Department and the Department of Fisheries, will undergo the field training programme.
The inaugural session was graced by Ms. Jyoti Kumari, IAS, Secretary (Fisheries), as the chief guest, along with Ms. Jagtap Kalyani Rajendra, Director of Fisheries, Dr. Dilip Kumar Jha, Officer-In-Charge, NIOT-ACOSTI and Dr. K. Gopal, Joint Director (Fisheries).
The chief guest, Ms. Jyoti Kumari, in her address, underlined the Department’s consistent efforts, with the technical support of NIOT, to promote seaweed cultivation through trainings, workshops, and field studies. She noted that six months of preparatory work by NIOT had culminated this initiative and announced the Department’s plans to take seaweed cultivation further towards processing and commercialization. She urged students and SHG members to build on this initiative by creating knowledge on seaweed cultivation in the Islands. She also pointed out that scaling up the harvest will be crucial to making seaweed processing a viable industry in the near future.
The SHG members, students from JNRM and Pondicherry University, and officials from the Fisheries and Rural Development Departments also attended the inaugural session.
Speaking on the occasion, Director of Fisheries, Ms. Jagtap Kalyani Rajendra, appreciated the participation of SHG members and students, describing the initiative as a milestone towards commercial seaweed cultivation in the Islands. She expressed gratitude to NIOT for its technical support, acknowledging their research studies and workshops that have laid a strong foundation for this venture. Encouraging SHG members to make the most of this opportunity. She remarked that the training would serve as an important step in promoting seaweed farming at a commercial scale by empowering local communities.
Welcoming the gathering, Officer-In-Charge, NIOT-ACOSTI highlighted the training’s focus on practical aspects such as raft preparation, mooring, deployment, and cultivation techniques. He emphasized that seaweed cultivation holds immense potential as an alternative livelihood for the Island community, providing both economic opportunities and ecological benefits.
The inaugural day programme featured a series of insightful technical sessions, where Dr. K. Gopal, Joint Director (Fisheries) spoke on the Prospects of Fisheries and Mariculture, Dr. T. Ganesh, Associate Professor, Pondicherry University, elaborated on the importance of seaweeds, and Dr. Dipon Shamah, Assistant Professor, JNRM, connected seaweed cultivation to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, Dr. J. Santhanakumar, Scientific officer, NIOT covered aspects on safety measurement for seaweed farming, Dr. M. Savurirajan, Dr. Aron Santhosh Kumar and Dr. R. Karuna Kumari Project Scientists of NIOT, detailed about culture techniques with special reference to Gracilaria edulis. Their talk emphasised the economic, ecological, and livelihood potential of seaweed farming, inspiring SHG members to explore opportunities for tapping into mainland markets in the future.
The SHG members will be involved in the seaweed cultivation training cycle of 45 days from the seeding process to the harvest and processing, with an aim to make them capable of undertaking commercial Seaweed farming in the A&N Islands.