Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, George Kurian, announced that the Mandapam Regional Centre of the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has been designated as a Centre of Excellence (CoE), a move that will significantly enhance seaweed cultivation in India. During the inauguration of the CoE at CMFRI’s Mandapam campus in Tamil Nadu, Kurian highlighted the essential role of ICAR-CMFRI in advancing marine fisheries and mariculture across the country.
The designation of ICAR-CMFRI Mandapam as a Centre of Excellence is set to promote and develop seaweed culture on a national scale. Kurian also commended the remarkable growth in India’s fish production, which has increased from 95.79 lakh tons to 175.45 lakh tons over the last decade, and lauded the government’s continued efforts through various schemes to enhance the fisheries sector.
In addition to the CoE launch, Kurian inaugurated the seaweed plantlet production unit established at the Mandapam Centre under the CoE. The Minister also toured the facility, which includes various specialized units such as the Marine Hatchery Complex, National Marine Fish Brood Bank, Recirculatory Aquaculture System (RAS), Sea Cage Farm, and Green Tiger Shrimp Hatchery established under the PMMSY scheme. Furthermore, he visited the Marine Biodiversity Museum and Marine Aquarium.
Dr. Grinson George, Director of CMFRI, outlined future plans for stronger collaboration with the ICAR-National Research Centre for Banana in seaweed tissue culture programs. More than 150 fishers, fish farmers, and seaweed farmers from the Tamil Nadu districts of Ramanathapuram and Pudukottai participated in the event, sharing their experiences in seaweed and sea cage farming. They expressed their gratitude for the various development initiatives and schemes implemented by the Centre, ICAR-CMFRI, and the Tamil Nadu State Fisheries Department. Kurian assured that the concerns raised by the attendees would be addressed promptly.
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