Home ›› 26 Feb 2023 ›› Nation
Bangladesh Marine Fisheries Association (BMFA) has successfully cultivated seaweed in the southern Cox's Bazar coastal district, opening new possibilities for earning foreign currency through export.
Nutrient-rich food, medicinal products, cosmetics and environmental protection products can be produced from seaweed. According to related sources, the global annual demand for this aquatic plant is 26 million tonnes with a market value of $6.5 billion.
The government expects to make use of this income-generating opportunity by cultivating seaweed commercially. As part of this project, BMFA has experimentally cultivated edible seaweed in the Reju canal of Ukhiya.
The project is funded by the Business Promotion Council (BPC) while BMFA carries out the research experiment. BMFA plans to expand the cultivation and export of dried seaweed to different Asian countries including China.
Seaweed is currently being cultivated on both banks of the Reju canal using two different methods. The net method involves tying nets with bamboo and the line method involves tying rope with bamboo.
Seaweed seeds are tied with rope or net and submerged under saline water. According to the farmers, about 15 to 18 kg of seaweed can be harvested in a plot of five square metres every 15 days.
The farming project Director Md Shimul Bhuiyan told The Business Post that seaweed cultivation is relatively low cost with a high-profit margin.
“This industry can play a strong role in creating employment for a significant number of people. If the local people are encouraged and trained, seaweed cultivation is possible in the country's beaches and coastal areas,” he said adding that there is a prospect of exporting it abroad.
According to the official, cultivation of different varieties of seaweed is already ongoing on a small scale in several areas of the coastal districts.
“Locals of Teknaf upazila’s Jaliapara, Saint Martin Island and Shapuree Island, Moheshkhali upazila’s Sonadia Island, and Nuniachara of Cox's Bazar are involved in seaweed cultivation. These farmers are annually producing an average of 400-500 maunds of mainly two species of seaweed,” Shimul said.
Besides, many locals of the area collect about 1,000-1,500 maunds of wild edible seaweed per year. Most of this seaweed is sold in Rangamati, Khagrachari, and Bandarban districts.
According to BMFA, 710 km of beaches and 25 thousand square km of coastal areas including Cox's Bazar, Chattogram, Noakhali, and Bagerhat are suitable for seaweed cultivation. Seaweed cultivation is also possible in the mangrove areas of the Sundarbans.
The government is considering seaweed as a potential economic crop under the ocean economy project.
SK Abid Hossain, the general secretary of BMFA, said seaweed is not only a nutrient-rich food but many medicinal products and cosmetics can be produced from it.
“There is also a demand for edible seaweed in the districts of Chattogram. We want to increase the scale of seaweed cultivation and export it in dried form to various countries including China after success in experimental cultivation on the coast,” he said.
He further added that their main task is to present it as a potential product to the entrepreneurs. Dried seaweed has a significant demand in China, so they are researching its exportability.
The Director General of Bangladesh Oceanographic Research Institute (BORI) Sayeed Mahmood Belal Haider said, “Seaweeds are commonly used as food around the world. In addition to commercial production and market creation, if local people can be encouraged and trained in seaweed farming, there will be a boom in the marine economy.
He further said that seaweed has a huge potential in the cosmetic industry and pharmaceutical industries adding, “We have successfully produced alginate, carrageenan, and agar-agar from seaweed in our laboratories. Other than the experimental cultivation in Reju canal, we have also collected information about other possible cultivation locations.”
According to Belal among the two cultivation techniques, the yield is relatively higher in the net method compared to the line method. About 17 kg of seaweed can be harvested within 10-17 days with just 2.5 grams of seed.
According to a recent study, the production of fish feed, animal feed and various toiletries requires Tk 21,000 crores worth of raw materials in Bangladesh, most of which has to be imported. But these raw materials can be produced in the country using locally cultivated seaweed.
BMFA and BORI are currently working towards encouraging locals of the coastal areas to cultivate seaweed and establish a trade market for the produce in the country.
