India opens multi-species aquaculture complex

India’s Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has opened a multi-species aquaculture complex in Vallarpadam.

Corinth | Bigstock.com
Corinth | Bigstock.com

India’s Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) has opened a multi-species aquaculture complex in Vallarpadam.

The complex takes up nine acres of land and will facilitate production of marine food from disease-free breeds, according to MPEDA, and will feature a hatchery for black tiger shrimp and six nurseries for mud crab and four varieties of fin fish (sea bass, cobia, silver pompano and genetically modified farmed tilapia).

MPEDA said the complex will help India to meet its goal of $60 million in agricultural exports in the next five years. The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Suresh Prabhu, said export should be the ultimate goal of each aquaculture producer and that they should use sustainable production practices as much as possible. He said MPEDA will offer assistance in sustainable production.

The new complex has an annual production capacity of 20 million post-larval black tiger shrimp. The hatchery has a quarantine facility and an effluent treatment system to meet biosecurity standards. The nurseries for diversified fish/shellfish species are ponds lined with high-density polythene.

The facility will service the areas of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Other investment in India’s aquaculture industry

According to WATT Global Media’s 2018 World Feed Panorama, aquaculture continued its steady growth in 2017, advancing globally by one-half of a percent to represent 4.5 percent of global compound feed production.

Cargill is one of the companies that has invested in aquaculture in India in the past year. In January, the company opened its first feed mill dedicated to fish species in the country. The mill, located in the city of Vijayawada and acquired from Mulpuri Foods & Feeds, reflects the company’s commitment to bring farmers safe, high-quality aquafeed solutions. It also marks an important step in Cargill’s work to develop its aquafeed business in India and across Asia.

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