KOCHI: Three Kochi-based higher education institutions, including two universities, have been selected for a multinational research on preventing diseases of farmed shrimp and boosting aquaculture in Afro-Asian countries.
The Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean studies (Kufos), Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) and the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology are the institutions selected by the Central Government’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT)for the project.
The UK, Bangladesh and Kenya are the other countries participating in the joint research project, which will be implemented through UK-based Global Research Partnership (GRP) - an innovative collaborative research programme - in association with UK-based Biological Science Research Council (BBSRC), the DBT and the Department for International Development (DFID), UK. The project envisages scientific validation of preventive medicines available in the market for diseases of shrimps; and development of new low-cost preventive medicines.
Under the joint initiative, scientists will scientifically prove pros and cons of the existing products and modify them according to regional ecological conditions, with primary focus on profitability of smallholder farmers. As part of the project, standardised assessment procedures for prophylactic health management capacity will be developed. The research team will also assess the efficacy, cost and benefits of the existing products, explore the potential for novel low-cost alternatives and develop new and effective prophylactic health products to improve animal health and smallholder profitability. The newly developed products will be tested through trials conducted in the ponds of the Kufos.
“Effective health management has become the most important challenge for aquaculturists, considering the prevalence of widespread viral diseases. Restrictions have been imposed on the use of anti-microbial chemotherapeutic. Aqua farmers all over the world have become increasingly dependent on Prophylactic Health Products (PHP), which are not scientifically validated. These probiotics have uncertain provenance and efficacy, with economic burden of the unjustified claims falling most heavily on small-scale shrimp farmers,” said K Padmakumar, Kufos Pro-vice-chancellor and principal investigator of the project.
Kufos School of Aquaculture and Biotechnology director S Shyama is the co-investigator of the project, in the university. The Kufos will get `1 crore of the total estimated cost of `2.34 crore for the project works to be carried out by the Indian partners.