Aquaculture Kerala 2018 – A Blue Revolution Initiative

Indian brackish water aquaculture comprising of shell-fish and finfish farming is an economic engine in the Indian aqua farming sector  with an annual production of 0.5 million tonnes of shrimp earning 5 billion US $ in 2015-16, as foreign exchange.

Increased sustainable production of P. Vannamei, diversification of aquaculture with native species, sustained measures to ensure quality, and increase in infrastructure facilities for production of value added products were largely responsible for India’s positive growth in exports of seafood. Emphased the brackish water aquaculture in his Dr K KVijayan Director, ICAR-CIBA Chennai in his key note address on “Brackish water and Marine Aquaculture”

The ‘Aquaculture Kerala 2018 – A Blue Revolution Initiative’ organized by Kerala Aqua Farmers Federation at Kannur in Kerala State during 10^th to 12^th February 2018 by Central Institute of Brackish water Aquaculture, Chennai

The national seminar was inaugurated on 10^th February 2018 by Shri Pinarayi Vijayan, Honorable Chief Minister, Government of Kerala and in his address the Chief Minister stated that Government of Kerala will give support for promotion of aquaculture in Kerala through relevant policy including the leasing of public water resources and planning.

Dr Ravisankar, Director, ICAR-CIFT-Kochi, delivering his felicitation speech highlighted the importance of value addition in increasing the income share of aqua producers.

ICAR-CIBA has several technically feasible, environment friendly and economically viable technologies in shellfish and finfish culture and the same need to be scaled-up through strategic planning and implementation of development schemes in convergence with State Government aqua farmers and other stakeholders. Scientific adoption and scaling up of these technologies would definitely increase farmers income by three to four folds in a span of one to two years itself considering short crop period in aqua farming.

CIBA Stall won the best stall award in the exhibition organized as a part of the National Seminar.

About 300 delegates, the majority aquaculture farmers, including dignitaries, scientists from ICAR institutes, Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, officials from Government of Kerala, and students have participated in the seminar.