Home ›› 02 Mar 2023 ›› Nation
Seaweed farming has brought financial stability and empowerment for the people of Sundarbans coastal area in Khulna region.
Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has achieved success by verifying the feasibility of seaweed cultivation in Khulna’s Koyra and Satkhira’s Shyamnagar upazilas under Sundarban West Forest Division.
Seaweed can be used to make nutrient-dense foods, medicines, cosmetics, and environmental protection products. Related sources estimate that this aquatic plant has an annual demand of 26 million tonnes with a market value of $6.5 billion.
The government anticipates using this opportunity to generate foreign exchange by engaging in commercial seaweed cultivation in the coastal regions.
Md Shahabuddin Ahmed of Datinakhali in Shyamnagar upazila said he received training on seaweed cultivation about two years ago from the Field Services Wing of the agricultural office.
“They trained about 30 of us together and gave us two varieties of seeds. The cultivation process is relatively easy and the Bari-1 variety has good yield,” he said.
According to Shahabuddin, the farmers just have to ensure that the ropes used in cultivation remain free of any debris and the seaweeds grow without needing much supervision.
“The agricultural officers buy the harvested raw algae from the farmers at the rate of Tk 120 per kg So far I have sold algae worth Tk 10,000,” he said, adding that seaweed cultivation can be called an effortless income-generating activity.
Basanti Mundar of Tepakhali village of Koyra upazila cultivates seaweed in fish enclosure (“gher”, as called by locals).
“Seeds are tied to submerged ropes and they grow naturally without any tending. They have no roots, stems, leaves, flowers or fruits. They somewhat resemble vermicelli,” Basanti said.
Gholam Mostafa of a neighbouring village is cultivating seaweed in the same way in his fish enclosure. He said he does not know what they are exactly used for but has heard that some people eat them.
“A strong rope is tied to bamboo pillars and the seeds are tied 15 cm apart. I harvest them every few weeks and sell them to the agricultural officers,” he said adding that seaweed cultivation does not hamper fish farming.
Experimental seaweed farming is also underway in the Munshiganj area of Shyamnagar. Hundreds of farmers in the area have started cultivating seaweed in their fish enclosures.
Zahid Hasan, assistant scientific officer of the Field Services Wing, (Koyra MLT site) said the yield has been good so far.
“We are storing the harvested seaweed after drying it. Making proper marketing arrangements will expand cultivation further from the experimental phase,” he added.
Dr Debesh Das, associate professor of Agrotechnology Discipline of Khulna University, said, “A small-scale research project under the laboratory of our discipline is ongoing on seaweed cultivation. However, the results are yet to be published.”
According to him, seaweed is used as a raw material for medicine, cosmetics and other items. Algae can also be used to retain soil nutrition levels and in reducing the salinity of the earth in the coastal areas. It also works as a disease-causing bacteria repellent in crops.
BARI’s Chief Scientific Officer of the Research Wing Md Harunor Rashid said seaweed can be used to produce nutrient-rich food, medicinal products, cosmetics and environmental protection products.
The demand for seaweed is high in both the domestic and international markets. Using this opportunity, the government is trying to create a new way of income by cultivating seaweed commercially in the country.
Through a research-based project, a total of 120 people from Koyra in Khulna and Shyamnagar in Satkhira were trained in seaweed farming methods.
“The seeds were brought from Cox's Bazar and distributed among the farmers. Seaweed production decreases during the monsoon season in Cox's Bazar due to reduced salinity levels, however, that is not the case in the coastal areas near the Sundarbans,” Harunor said.
He further added that seaweed cultivation has a higher profit margin compared to the production cost. It can become an income-generating activity for the unemployed youth in the area.
