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Agar and Alginate Production from Seaweed in India-BOBP/WP/69

Year of publication 1991

Pages p.24

Author J.J.W Coppen & P. Nambiar;Fishery and Aquaculture Economics and Policy Division

Product type Project

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Although small by world standards, Indian production of agar and alginates— natural gums derived from certain species of seaweed — contributes to the national economy by supplying materials to the market that would otherwise need to be imported. It is also important in providing income opportunities to many fishing communities, particularly the women, who harvest the seaweed from coastal waters. This paper surveys the Indian seaweed industry and its principal products, agar and sodium alginate . Technical and economic aspects of seaweed collection and processing, and the markets for the products, are examined. Trials undertaken by BOBP to cultivate Gracilaria seaweed and to employ it as a source of raw material for villagescale agar production are briefly described. The work presented is based on information collected during visits made in 1988 and 1989 to harvesting centres along the south-eastern coastline of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. The seaweed industries a re not well documented and the report relies heavily on first-hand information gained through visits and discussions with the seaweed collectors, agents and processors. The authors would like to thank all these people for their kind assistance during the implementation of this study as well as the Post-Harvest Fisheries Adviser and local consultants involved in the collection of data and the organization of this visit. The work described in this paper has been sponsored by BOBP’s Post-Harves t Fisheries Project. It is executed by the Natural Resources Institute (NRI), UK, and funded by the ODA (Overseas Development Administration) of the United Kingdom.

Language English

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