The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA)’s Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA) is ready to set up mud crab hatcheries in coastal districts of Tamil Nadu and other states for production and export of the seafood delicacy in global markets, especially in Southeast Asia, reports the Hindu Times
MPEDA-RGCA’s mud crab hatchery technology, the one-of-its-kind in the country, has been granted patent by the Controller General of Patent, Design and Trade Marks, till 2030. “Mud crab is a potential candidate species for commercial aquaculture. We are promoting it as a targeted fishery with high price value,†said K. S. Srinivas, MPEDA Chairman and president of RGCA.
“We are also providing crab-instars (baby crab) to the farmers at just the production cost, as an incentive for mud crab farming in a big way. Significantly, it has huge potential to diversify the brackish water aquaculture as mud crab farming is the best option in defunct shrimp farms,†Srinivas said.
According to Kandan, Project Director at RGCA, Tamil Nadu is the hub for live mud crab export, mainly to Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore and Malaysia, besides the Middle East, while crab meat is a delicacy in USA and Europe. From Chennai port alone, around two tonnes of live mud crab are exported every day, he said.
As MPEDA’s Aquaculture Technology Incubation Centre headquartered in Mayiladuthurai, RGCA is currently producing 1.4 million seeds of mud crab/year for supply to farmers in various states.
Srinivas said that MPEDA has financial assistance schemes for setting up live/frozen handling centres and value addition. “It also supports the exporters for the live mud crab export besides value added products, such as soft shell crab and crab meat,†he added.
Mud crab commands the highest price when it is exported as whole in live condition or as crab meat in frozen condition. Mud crab fetches high value on exports with minimum investment whereas shrimp require high-end value addition to fetch higher value, added Srinivas. “We have taken initiatives with the Central government’s National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) to provide financial assistance to entrepreneurs for setting up mud crab hatcheries in India.”
