SRIKAKULAM: Women from a coastal village in Sompeta mandal have achieved financial sustainability by adopting a novel livelihood. The women of Moolapolam have taken up seaweed (benthic marine algae) cultivation under a pilot project and reported positive yields with the support of the Fisheries Department and two Chennai-based institutions—the Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture (CIBA) and the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT).
Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu appreciated the women’s efforts and innovative approach in securing financial sustainability. Each woman cultivates seaweed in a 0.25-acre farm pond and earns about `1 lakh per annum from two crops.
Moolapolam seaweed is in high demand in the open market and are being procured by Uday Aquaculture Company, which partnered with the women farmers when the project was launched on an experimental basis in the State.
Seaweed cultivation is totally eco-friendly, requiring no fertilisers or pesticides. In the farm ponds, seawater needs to be replaced once every three days. With government assistance, 450 women from self-help groups (SHGs) applied for seaweed cultivation.
“Before launching the pilot project, we provided 30 days of technical training to SHG women through Uday Aquaculture Company, with support from the Fisheries Department and the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA),” District Collector Swapnil Dinkar Pundkar told TNIE.
“We created farm ponds across 100 acres of government land near the Bay of Bengal and began seaweed cultivation by filling them with seawater through pumping,” explained Uday Aquaculture representatives Uday Kishan and Chandan. The government now plans to scale up seaweed cultivation from September 2025 to March 2026 by establishing 2,004 farm ponds across coastal districts, enabling more SHG women to benefit from the initiative.
“Seaweed is rich in protein, vitamins (A, B complex, B12, and biotin), and minerals like calcium and iron. It is high in demand and is considered an economically beneficial crop. Its by-products are used in jellies, pastes, medicines, pharmaceutical products, as a binding agent in liquid products, bio-fertilisers, soups, and even ice creams,” said fisheries department officials and representatives of pharmaceutical companies based in the Pydibhimavaram industrial area.
“We are grateful to the CM for supporting us in cultivating seaweed and helping us earn a decent income,” said women farmers Mada Devi and Vanka Davaki.