Union Fisheries Secretary Dr. Abhilaksh Likhi visited the seaweed cultivation site at Munnaikadu, Mandapam Camp, Tamil Nadu on October 13, 2026, interacting with seaweed farmers associated with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) as part of the Department's efforts to promote seaweed farming and strengthen coastal livelihoods. The visit included demonstrations of cultivation techniques including monoline and raft-based methods, with the Secretary appreciating women-led SHGs' contributions and encouraging enhanced production and utilization of government schemes including Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) and Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY).
Earlier, Dr. Likhi chaired a meeting at ICAR-CMFRI Regional Centre, Mandapam with representatives from Coastal States and Union Territories, research institutions, technical agencies, and seaweed stakeholders. The meeting highlighted India's significant seaweed cultivation potential, noting the country's 11,099 km coastline provides favorable conditions for expansion, with research institutions identifying 384 suitable sites covering 24,707 hectares across Coastal States and Union Territories.
Under PMMSY, seaweed cultivation has been identified as a priority activity for employment generation and income augmentation for fishers and coastal communities. During 2020-27, projects worth ₹181.11 crore have been approved for seaweed development, including establishment of a Seaweed Park in Tamil Nadu. Financial assistance has been extended for installation of 37,255 seaweed culture rafts and 44,080 seaweed culture monoline units, along with support for seed banks, awareness, training and capacity-building initiatives.
Seaweed production in India has shown substantial growth, increasing from 18,890 tonnes in 2015 to 74,083 tonnes in 2024 and 82,728 tonnes in 2025. The Department of Fisheries has adopted a cluster-based approach and notified 34 fisheries production and processing clusters across the country, with Lakshadweep specifically notified as a Seaweed Cluster. ICAR-CMFRI Regional Centre, Mandapam has been designated as a Centre of Excellence for seaweed development and research, while institutional mechanisms including an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) on Seaweed Development have been established to facilitate coordinated sectoral development.
Meeting deliberations focused on key priorities including implementation of seaweed development action points, strengthening inter-agency coordination, establishing decentralized seed banks, addressing PMMSY implementation challenges, promoting entrepreneurship and market linkages, facilitating offshore seaweed cultivation, enhancing farmer outreach and capacity building, and expediting operationalization of the Tamil Nadu Seaweed Park. Discussions also covered expanding seaweed applications in food, animal feed, fertilizers and other value-added products, and formulating a long-term roadmap for sustainable sector development.