UDUPI: Water is the essence of life. It nourishes and sustains living beings. When used in an innovative way, it can even fill one’s pockets. One such individual is 51-year-old Shankar Kundar. Hailing from Kodi Kanyana village in Udupi district, Shankar stands testimony to the fact that you don’t need crores to become an entrepreneur. All you need is an innovative idea and the determination to achieve. For this, Shankar did not have to go far from his house. He utilised the saline backwaters of the Sita river behind his house to grow green mussels (perna viridis) and has been reaping profits since 2008.
It is not an easy task. From collecting mussels to creating half-sunken scaffolding using bamboo in the backwaters to tying ropes on them for the young mussels to grow — the entire process has been a painstaking one.
Shankar ventured into aquaculture in 1994 when he worked in a prawn cultivation pond. But after he suffered losses due to a disease that affected the prawns, his attention moved towards cultivating green mussels. He reached out to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Regional Centre, Mangaluru, and their workshops on integrated farming combined with cage fish and seaweed farming helped him acquire skills for green mussel cultivation.
After attending the CMFRI workshops, Shankar did not waste time and started green mussel cultivation in 2008. First, he approached the fishermen of Murudeshwar and Maravanthe for young green mussels, which are found mid sea, clinging to tide pool rocks, feeding on microbial organisms. But in this natural setting, green mussels do not grow faster due to lack of space in the rocks. Young mussels are about 15-20 mm. But in six months, they grow up to 120-160 mm when they are ready for harvesting.
The tasty green mussel has good demand in Goa. Shankar said that a decade ago the price of one green mussel was Re 1. But as there is good demand now, it has gone up to Rs 10 per piece. Shankar last year (2021-22) had hung 500 ropes with each rope having young mussels weighing about 800 gm. He spent Rs 1.5 lakh, including labour charges, and got Rs 4 lakh in return. Shankar recalls that before taking part in CMFRI training, he was motivated by Anil Nair, an exporter, to engage in aquaculture. Initially, Shankar had supplied the yield to Kuwait, but soon realised there is a good demand in Goa. Since then, he has been supplying his produce to Goa and Kerala.
Shankar says the initial investment has gone up. In 2008, for the production of around 750 gm of mussels using 450 ropes, he had invested Rs 25,000. But last year, his investment was Rs 1.5 lakh. ‘‘The price has gone up 10 times, making it a profitable venture,’’ he says.
Dr Geetha Sasikumar, principal scientist, CMFRI, Regional Centre, Mangaluru, who is involved in disseminating scientific bivalve farming techniques, resulting in adoption and commercialisation of mussel farming said green mussels grow well when salinity in the water is 25 parts per thousand. The ideal time to grow green mussels is from November to April or May. Once the monsoon starts, sweet water gets mixed with the backwaters of west flowing rivers, reducing salinity. Further, green mussels do not require additional nutrients to grow.