Seaweed: The next big thing in Indian agriculture set to come from the Eastern Coast

The sea is part of Odisha’s lives and livelihoods. Odisha is the fourth-largest fish-producing state in the country, contributing to 2.33 per cent of the state economy.

But Cyclone Fani of 2019 and the ones that followed have had a massive impact on the lives of fishermen. With the fish population in Chilika dropping by almost 40 per cent, there is a need for an alternate income source for the fishers.

India has the potential to produce around 9.7 million tonnes of seaweed per year, according to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.

In 2022, the global production of seaweed was close to 35 million tonnes which was worth about $16.5 billion. In comparison, India only had a production of 34,000 tonnes. The Indian government has come up with a package of Rs 640 crore to promote seaweed cultivation of up to 1.12 million tonnes by 2025.

Dinabandhu Sahu has led research on microalgae and seaweeds for the past 30 years. He believes algae is the future for coastal India and has the potential to be a great source of income for people in Chilika.

But before we get into the potential of commercial seaweed in India, let’s start with the basics. What are seaweeds? How does it have the potential to be a revolutionary crop for the fishers of coastal India?