Potential of seaweed farming looks bright

Seaweed typically grows in salty sea water or on rocks below the high-water marks. It is an aquatic resource that is rich in iodine, vitamins and minerals and has been used widely in food supplements and pharmaceutical products. Research in many nations has shown that it has properties to help fight various diseases in the human body and yet this natural resource has hardly been given the attention to it deserves in Bangladesh. Our farmers at large are not aware that this could very well provide a valuable source of income if farmed correctly.

While it is easy to talk about the 'Blue Economy', steps have not been taken at policy level to popularise seaweed cultivation. According to one study by a UN body, the annual global production of seaweed until recently was 33 billion tonnes with an economic value of US$11.80 billion. In Bangladesh, farmers are currently producing roughly 400 tonnes with an economic value of roughly $0.5 billion. The global market production is projected to double by 2024.

These are serious numbers and it's time to take cognizance of the fact that Bangladesh needs to diversify its exports. For too long the discourse in the country has revolved around diversification of readymade apparels, which constitutes 85 per cent of exports. The narrative has revolved around industrial production. While it is easy to forget that around 40 per cent of the workforce is still engaged in agriculture, and climatic changes are effecting changes in weather patterns that are adversely affecting traditional crops, it is time the government started thinking about other things like, seaweeds. As stated before, seaweeds have multiple applications and use ranging from food supplements to and for fodder (for cattle), chemicals, medicines, construction materials, to name but a few.

Another major advantage is that the production of this resource requires no land, fertilisers or pesticides - it simply grows on its own. All it requires is proper cultivation in the coastal belts of the country. According to researchers, there are some 32 types of seaweed available in Bangladesh and "14 of these species are commercially viable but only four variants are being farmed, that too on a small scale."

While the applications for this aquatic resource are well documented, as is the commercial value of it, there is no national plan to develop the resource on a large scale and numerous problems have been identified which hold back the growth of this sector. Cox's Bazaar area remains a prime location for planned seaweed production. Some efforts have been taken by the UNDP to train and financially equip some members of the community and the exercise has shown its viability. But it is one thing to ramp up seaweed production that adheres to international standards, quite another to introduce proper packaging and marketing of the product in question. Seaweed is a product and like all products, it requires a proper supply chain, marketing and promotion.

The global market for this product already exists, but there are numerous uses for it locally. In other countries, seaweed has been used to make fodder for cattle and that has direct application in our agriculture. If the supply of seaweed could be ensured in a large quantity at domestic level, the country's pharmaceutical industry would procure it as a raw material, and the surplus could be exported.

With introduction of large-scale seaweed cultivation, Bangladeshi farmers could get the benefit of opening up a secondary source of income and nutrition - not just by farming it, but also partly processing it, which would be considered "value addition" to fetch better prices. This could generate employment in the coastal belt. At the end of the day, since the demand is there, why not use this nature's gift to help generate income to reduce poverty and better the livelihoods of people along the coastal belt? Experience in other countries has shown that that seaweed is in vogue in developed nations as a food and new applications for this versatile resource is being found every day.

For any of this to happen, policymakers need to take stock of what is needed to develop a seaweed sector. Some of the impediments include lack of technology and knowhow, a trained labour force to harvest seaweed, etc. But these are hardly issues because workers can be trained and joint-ventures can be set up with foreign companies that can introduce the technology needed to make modern farms. State research organisations can also reach out to other countries which are global leaders in seaweed production. What is needed is policy direction and the will to effect change and only the State has the resources to imitate the changes needed in terms of rules and regulations and introduce the right policies to encourage what could be, a budding industry with serious export potential.

[email protected]