Notes on Recommendations for Enabling Policy Interventions in the Seaweed Cultivation and Processing Domain in India

Abstract

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations ranks India at 13th position with 5300 wet tones of seaweed harvest (0.2% of global production). The domestic micro or medium enterprises still overwhelmingly rely on wild harvest for feedstock. The production of hydrocolloids and bio stimulants for agriculture has been the main product portfolio for the last several decades. Nevertheless, with 7516.6 km of coastline, this sector holds enormous promise for sustainable economic development. The strong “Innovation Quotient” proved to be the crucial driving force to develop several novel products backed up with intellectual property rights. Appreciable steps have been taken by the Union Government of India to give further fillip to the marine sector through different forums to achieve a sustainable and circular Blue Economy. The purpose of this thematic article is to collate the state-of-the-art information on the cultivation and processing sector in the country, and to provide recommendations for evidence-based sector management and policy decision making. The proposal of establishing a “Multipurpose Seaweed Park”—the first of its kind in the world—in Tamil Nadu is a very pertinent first step towards the cause of modernizing and improving the domestic industries, adopting improved processing and sustainable and green technologies. The analysis revealed that in order to fulfill these objectives, more coordinated efforts of several stakeholders are necessary, along with the cooperation of different government departments and industry participation. The lessons learned would help in furthering our collaboration with countries of the Indian Ocean region and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, for mutual benefit.