Question : Seaweed Cultivation in Tamil Nadu

(a) whether any proposal has been received from the State Government of Tamil Nadu for establishment of a seaweed park in Mandapam, Rameswaram;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the estimated cost of the project and the time by which it is likely to be established;
(c) if not, the reasons therefor and delay, if any, in the establishment of this project;
(d) whether any studies were carried out for survey of potential areas available for seaweed cultivation in the State of Tamil Nadu; and
(e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

ANSWER


THE MINISTER OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING

(PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)
(a) to (c): Yes, Sir.TheGovernment of Tamil Nadu has submitted a proposal for establishment of a Multipurpose Seaweed Park at Mandapam, Rameswaramat an estimated cost of Rs.296.43 crore and sought financial assistance under the Pradhan MantriMatsyaSampadaYojana (PMMSY).The proposed Multipurpose Seaweed Park is an integrated unit consisting of components like Research and Development (R&D) centre, Seaweed Seed Bank, exclusive Seaweed Park for processing Seaweed and its related products, marketing facilities to support seaweed farming.
(d) and (e):The Government of Tamil Nadu has reported that six coastal districts namely, Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Myladuthurai, Pudukkottai, Ramanathapuram and Thoothukkudi under the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar regions are suitable for seaweed farming. The Government of Tamil Nadu further reported that the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar regions with a coastal length of 364.90 km have 290 coastal fishing villages.

It is also reported that in the preliminary survey done so far, a total of 136 villages have been identified for seaweed farming. Besides, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) reported preparation of Geographic Information System (GIS)-based map for potential seaweed farming and found suitable 187 sites covering 5048 ha area along Tamil Nadu coast.The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research(CSIR)-Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI) reported that a joint team of researchers from National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), CSIR-CSMCRI and ICAR-CMFRI surveyed.
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