Monthly Archives: April 2019

A windfall for mussel farmers of Valiyaparamba

It is harvesting time for aquaculture farmers doing raft cultures of green mussels in the Valiyaparamba backwaters, and they are happy that the yield this year is better than that of last two or three years.

The backwaters divide the Valiyaparamba strip and small islands and mainland, in Kannur and Kasaragod districts including Thrikkarippur and Padanna.

Mussel harvest

Farmers and their helpers start mussel harvest in April-May, by removing the mussel ropes suspended from rafts anchored to the backwaters.

They collect the mussel ropes, bring them to land in canoes, and segregate good mussels (with closed shells) and bad mussels (with open shells) before they are handed over to buyers who sell them to local vendors or those in neighbouring places.

“There are 1,949 green mussel cultivation units in the backwaters with each unit having 100 ropes,” said I.P. Athira, mussel culture district project coordinator under the Fisheries Department in the district.

They included 1,192 units under the Blue Revolution (BR) scheme for new farmers, and 757 units under the Janakeeya Matsyakrishi continuing scheme for existing mussel farmers.

Whereas individuals under the BR scheme could culture one unit each with a government subsidy of 40% of the cost (estimated at ₹15,000), self-help groups could cultivate up to four units with the same subsidy, she said.

Continuing farmers would get 20% of the operations cost, she added.

Increased production

While the harvest is still incomplete, initial yields show increased production.

Twelve tonnes of mussels was harvested in Padanna panchayat and eight tonnes was harvested in Thrikkarippur panchayat.

Valiyaparamba panchayat, having the highest number of mussel farmers, has so far harvested 10 tonnes, according to the Fisheries Department.

In November

The season of mussel culture starts in November when salinity is high in the backwaters.

“Yield this year is good and we are fetching ₹6,000-7,000 per sack containing 75-80 kg of mussels,” said P.V. Preetha, mussel culture farmer and promoter, who is tasked with recruiting more people into mussel farming.

Seeds were locally available this season, though some farmers had bought outside seeds which reached harvest stage early, she said.

There was no difficulty in marketing the product, she added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States > Kerala / by Mohamed Nazeer & Special Correspondent / April 29th, 2019

It’s ‘baiga’ harvest season for Neendakara fishermen


Long journey: Baiga, an export-oriented sea snail species, at a processing unit in Kollam. 

The sea snail, a delicacy in Japan, Taiwan, and China, is claimed to be endemic to Kollam

Over 250 boats from Neendakara are currently busy harvesting ‘baiga’ and it will take you some time to figure out that the word fishers use so casually is the Japanese for sea snail.

An export-oriented gastropod mollusc, it is endemic to Kollam with a two-month season ending in May. “It’s a species of sea snail abundant in Neendakara. We cannot say it’s totally endemic as its sporadic presence is seen in other places too. But Neendakara is the only place where it’s available in huge volumes,” says Fisheries Deputy Director H. Salim.

The fishers say they take daily trips, though not too far from the coast considering the current weather conditions. “These two months we focus on baiga and since it has to be brought live to the shore, we take daily trips. Before taking it to the processing plant, we keep it in fresh seawater for around five hours to clean the flesh. This species has no local market, so the entire catch goes straight to processing plants. In Kerala , Neendakara is the only region where you get this variety,” they say.

Priced up to ₹130, the fisherfolk consider it a good option just before trawling ban starts.

1,000 tonnes

According to exporters, Japan, Taiwan, and China are the main markets of the product where it is used in many traditional delicacies. “It’s a seasonal market operating hardly two months a year and an average of 1,000 tonnes is exported each time. In Kerala, all the export units get the product from Neendakara. Since it has to be cleaned live, it’s not possible to take it to faraway places for processing. It’s usually exported as a raw product without any value addition,” says Peter Austin of Capithan Exporting Company. He adds that Pakistan is a major competitor in the field as the country has a larger harvest window. “Karachi-based exporters ship the product for over six months.”

Mr. Salim says the Fisheries Department is trying for a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification for the species. “Currently, the yellow clam (Paphia malabarica) from Ashtamudi Lake is the only product from India to get that recognition. In the case of baiga, it is a very short harvest and the rest of the year we leave the species to breed, which is a very sustainable practice. So we are really hopeful of getting the certification,” he adds.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kerala / by Navamy Sudhish / Kollam – April 20th, 2019