In February, e-commerce giant Amazon announced a $1.6-million grant to fund the “world’s first” commercial seaweed farm. The project off the Netherlands puts the spotlight on a marine plant that some people consider a nuisance. That is the power of climate change.
Seaweed is having a moment in the sun because of its ability to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. According to a report by Consulting Group (BCG), an acre of seaweed can absorb 20 times the amount of carbon absorbed by an acre of trees. Apart from this, seaweed also has proven its usage in several industries. It is used to make fertilisers, soil conditioners, animal feed, cosmetics and food items, among others. These make the algae valuable, especially in today’s climate-conscious world.
The global seaweed market size reached $7.5 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $14.3 billion by 2028, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 11.64% during 2023-2028, according to IMARC Group. A recent World Bank report estimates that 10 emerging global seaweed markets have a potential growth of up to $11.8 billion by 2030. This monetary value comes with seaweed’s ability to sink carbon, sustain marine biodiversity, employ women, and unlock value chains, it adds.
India harvest nearly 33,345 tonnes of wet weight (the undried harvest) of seaweeds per year from natural sources, says a joint report of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). Experts say India’s 8,118-km coastline gives it an ecosystem to produce 10 million tonnes of seaweed annually, based on another ICAR-CMFRI report that identifies 333 sites across nine states and four Union territories for seaweed farming. For context, Indonesia, one of the largest producers of seaweed, cultivates 2.5 million tonnes a year.
The report also says that India has an annual turnover of around Rs 200 crore in seaweed production, less than 1% of the global production. It estimates world seaweed production at 35.1 million tonnes wet weight with “first sale value” estimated at $16.5 billion, quoting a 2022 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report.
Promising plant
Given these facts, experts argue that India should tap the potential of the microscopic algae that is finding more takes in many industries. It is also gaining a name as a renewable, eco-friendly material. The ICAR-CMFRI had recently said in a report that expansion of seaweed farming in the country would improve the socio-negative effects of climate change, while protecting the marine ecosystems.
“The country is endowed with 8,118 km of coastline and bestowed with 0.26 million tonnes/year wet harvestable biomass of seaweeds belonging to 700 species. Of these, at least 60 species are economically important for their polysaccharides,” it read.
Polysaccharides are carbohydrates used in various areas such as in fermentation, cosmetics and as gelling agents in food.
A Gopalakrishnan, Director of ICAR-CMFRI, was not available for comments when this story was published.
CRK Reddy, former Chief Scientist at Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, says these numbers show the country has a lot to gain by harnessing the climate-friendly properties of seaweed.
He lists more advantages: “Seaweed farming doesn't compete with terrestrial crops for land, water and fertilisers. Therefore, seaweeds are widely considered carbon-neutral or low-carbon footprint crops.
Secondly, blending of about 1-2% of select seaweeds in animal feed reduces methane emission by more than 90% in livestock. Methane's global warming potential is 80% more than CO2 in the first 10 years after it is released into the atmosphere. Seaweeds have great potential to provide alternative products to conventional ones and help to cut down carbon emissions, which is very critical for the country to meet its net zero emission target by 2050.”
Certain coastal pockets are hotbeds for seaweed cultivation — such as the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat and the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu. Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra are major contributors now. Potential areas include the Lakshadweep Islands, West Bengal, Karnataka and Kerala. In September, the Centre and Tamil Nadu government laid the foundation stone for a seaweed park in Ramanathapuram. The Rs 127-crore facility would generate employment and economic avenues for people in six districts, said Union Minister of Fisheries Parshottam Rupala.
The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) has received $86.8 million to increase seaweed production. This funding will be used to set up or enhance seaweed seed banks, processing labs, marketing facilities and training. The amount was approved in 2020 and till December 14, 2022, it had helped fund 54,500 rafts and 63,731 monoline tubenet for seaweed cultivation.
Neha Jain, founder of Mumbai-based Zero Circle, which makes sustainable materials from seaweed, explains that some species of seaweed (red, green and brown) are better sources of bioplastics due to higher biomass, fast reproduction, low maintenance in all environments and cost-effectiveness. Bioplastics are better alternatives to other forms of plastics.
“In addition to their biodegradability properties, seaweed-derived biomaterials can be used to keep food fresh for longer. Other unique qualities of seaweed, like pliability, makes it more ideal to be used as raw material for food and packaging. If you have ever touched a seaweed, you will see its sticky, that’s where our materials get their unique adhesion quality from. It's a rapidly growing renewable resource which makes it a more sustainable alternative to traditional plastic, which is derived from non-renewable fossil fuels. Seaweed does not depend on land or freshwater or chemicals to grow, so it does not compete with food resources like water,” she says.
Abhiram Seth, founder of Delhi-based seaweed cultivator AquAgri, is happy that the potential is finally getting some recognition. AquAgri manufactures seaweed-based biostimulants such as seaweed extract powder, whole seaweed powder, seaweed gel and flakes. These products help in boosting crop yield, and are also plant growth promoters. His company earned a revenue of Rs 240 crore last financial year.
Seth says the price of one pound (0.4 kg) of seaweed has improved from Rs 5 in 2010 to Rs 80 today.According to the ICAR-CMFRI report, one kg of dry seaweed cost Rs 16 in 2010 and now costs Rs 70 in 2022.
Seth explains that the price has gone up as demand, value and recognition of seaweed has increased.
Farming requirements
Despite the vast amount of enabling ecosystem and potential, many reasons hamper seaweed cultivation in the country.
The ICAR-CMFRI had recently said in a report that expansion of seaweed farming in the country would improve the socio-negative effects of climate change, while protecting the marine ecosystems.
Shrikumar Suryanarayan, co-founder and Chairman of Bengaluru-based Sea6 Energy, which uses seaweed to make biofuels, says some steps are required to optimise seaweed cultivation in India. One of them is zoning. “We have to zone the sea into different areas such as a marine protected area, an aquaculture area, a seaweed cultivation area, a tourism area. It is difficult to cultivate in an entire open sea. In other Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, they already have clearly developed zonation policies in the sea. This helps in large-scale seaweed cultivation,” he says.
It is also important to liberalise import of special seaweed species that can thrive in India’s ecosystem.
“People in India are not allowing imports of other seaweed species as they have a fear that the species will cause harm to the sea. But the same species have also been imported by Southeast Asian countries and they have been thriving,” he says.
Suryanarayan points out that even the major shrimp species cultivated in India are not indigenous to the country. Even the parboiled IR64 rice was first developed at the Rice Institute of Manila, Philippines, and other countries started cultivating it in the 1980s. India is one of the biggest cultivators of this rice today.
The argument that importer species can be invasive and so should not be encouraged does not hold water, says the chairman of Sea6 Energy.
Suryanarayan says the lack of import policies on seaweed is another barrier. “Today, there are no clear policies on how to import seaweed species. What are the steps to be taken before it can be declared safe. All those policies need to be developed,” he says.
Another issue in seaweed cultivation is that it is labour intensive. Improving mechanisation is the only way out as seaweed farming happens in the sea and traditional farming implements cannot be used there.
According to Reddy, the technology most seaweed cultivators in India have is in the very simplest form and so cannot be used in tidal areas like the Gulf of Kutch. “We don't have technology that can be deployed wherever we want it and will work in a hostile environment. Today, there are some countries working on developing technology for seaweed cultivation in such an environment and also for offshore cultivation,” he says.
Reddy, the former chief scientist at Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, says that we need to cultivate more varieties of seaweed. Red seaweed is being cultivated widely in India. But due to extensive vegetative propagation, the species has lost its vigour. “We are not able to develop technology or expertise for other species. Therefore, we need to work on alternative species and look at more cultivation of brown and green seaweed,” he says.
Alginate made out of brown seaweed is widely used for biomedical applications and is also used in making jelly because of gelation properties. Green seaweed gives an algae named Caulerpa that is often used as a raw material in salads. It is an edible seaweed and has anti-bacterial functions as well.
The applications of seaweed in China, Japan and Korea has majorly been around culinary applications. But in India, it has seen more industrial uses in cosmetics and processed meals, among others.
Alternative for fuel
The global demand for seaweed is increasing as countries like Japan, Korea, the US, Norway and others are looking to produce biofuels using seaweed. This is another compelling reason to look at seaweed.
Fuel can also be made using biomass. But to make 15 million tonnes of fuel, one would need roughly four times that amount of biomass or raw material. This would take up India’s entire agricultural output. Reddy says according to research, about 240 litres of ethanol can be produced from one ton of dry biomass of red and brown seaweeds.
Seaweed cultivation by AquAgri farmers.
Moreover, the advantage of seaweed is that it can be cultivated easily over an area that is relatively unused, is eco-friendly and would not require gathering of agricultural raw materials to make fuel. Besides, farming on land creates a larger carbon footprint than seaweed farming.
Sea6’s Suryanaryan says these plants grow in 45 days, can be cultivated throughout the year and are not dependent on rains. This makes seaweed a better source of biofuel.
Of course, research and development to make fuel from seaweed is in early stages, and is going on in many parts of the world. Meanwhile, India can take a lead on the cultivation side by encouraging farmers.
(Originally published on Oct 18, 2023, 10:02 AM IST)Share the joy of reading! Gift this story to your friends & peers with a personalized message. Gift Now
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