The Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA), the research wing of the Marine Products Export Development Agency (MPEDA), has standardised the production of quality live feed, stimulating India’s shrimp and fish seed production sector and reducing its dependence on imports from the US and China.
Feed company Artemia has been brought out by RGCA under the brand name ‘Pearl’. The feed, developed under the ‘Make in India’ programme, was formally launched by vice president Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu at the fifth edition of MPEDA’s Aqua Aquaria India held on 30 August.
“India currently imports around 300 tonnes of Artemia in dried cyst form mainly from USA and China. It is an important consumable in shrimp and fish hatcheries for the larvae of farmed aquatic organisms,” said MPEDA chairman, K S Srinivas.
“Artemia appears only in waters of high salinity. There is a huge potential for Artemia live feed in the country and its operations can be expanded on a large scale in states like Maharashtra and Gujarat,” he added.
India is looking to double its seafood exports by 2024 through the introduction of new varieties and expansion of aquaculture cultivation into new areas. “Our indigenous Pearl brand of Artemia is a big step in realising this ambitious target,” Mr Srinivas said.
Artemia is currently produced in the facilities of MPEDA-RGCA at Tuticorin and Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, with a total capacity of 500kg per year. At present, MPEDA-RGCA produces Artemia over 18 hectares but the country has a potential area of 12,000 hectares that could be used for production.
