Mussel farming is one of the best ideas for the

utilisation of natural resources as well as human

resources in a sustainable manner. It is an activity with

potential to empower women by giving them a chance to

earn additional income for their family, thereby making

them self-reliant. Thus, looking at the larger picture

mussel farming could bring about an improvement in

the socio-economic condition of families in the coastal

States of India. Additionally, it also ensures production

of healthy and protein rich food for the consumers

Azaharudheen, T P M

Baruah, A

Bharti, Vivekanand

Jayaraj, P

Rachana, R R

CMFRI Digital Repository

Women empowerment through green mussel {Pema vuidis) farming : Focus on KeralaV. Bharti^*, P. Jayaaraj^, T. P. M. Azaharudheen^ R. R. Rachana‘'and A. Baruah^'Central M arine Fisheries Research Institute (ICAR), Kochi, Kerala ^Krishi V igyan Kendra, Payinnur, Kannur, Kerala^National Rice Research Institute (ICAR), Cuttack, Orissa■‘N ational Research Centre on Pom egranate (ICAR), Solapur, Maharashtra^Central Island A gricultural Research Institute (ICAR), Port Blair, A ndam an & N icobar IslandsC orresponding author : vivekanandbhartil5@ em ail.comAbstractM ussel fa rm ing  is one of the best ideas for the u til isa tio n  of n a tu ra l  resources as w ell as h u m an  resources in a sustainable manner. It is an activity with potential to empower women by giving them a chance to earn additional income for their family, thereby making them  self-reliant. Thus, Igoking at the larger picture mussel farming could bring about an im provem ent in the socio-economic condition of families in the coastal States of India. Additionally, it also ensures production of healthy and protein rich food for the consumers.IntroductionGreen mussel {Perna viridis) farming technology in India was developed during 1970s by CMFRI and the adop tion  of this technology started  th rough  coastal fishers from 1997, after realising its potential in generating income (Manoj and  A p puku ttan , 2003). In 2002, the cultured mussel production in Kerala was around 1,250 tonnes which was. produced by over 250 mussel farms in the estuaries (Kiranet ah, 2014).In Kerala, fisherwomen population is significantly high. Therefore, enhancing women participation in livelihood enhancement activities will definitely play a crucial role inFig.-3. Mussel farming in rack culture techniquethe econom ic g ro w th  of the State. Since the es tab lishm ent of K udum bashree  (SHG) in 1998, the p a rtic ip a tio n  of w om en in Kerala has dram atica lly  increased in various vocational activities. The author had an interaction with Mrs. Saritha of Valiyaparambu village of Kannur district of Kerala. She won the second National Award for 2013 - 14 in mussel farming by Marine Export Product Development Authority, (MPEDA), which was conferred during the AQUA AQUARIA INDIA - 2015' at Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. She is also a recipient of Matsya Samridhi Award - 2014 "for best mussel farmer of Kasaragode district". D uring the interaction, she explained about the role of women in the mussel farming, preparation of the rack, the involvement in terms of time spent during culture and in management, harvesting and marketing of the end product. According to her, women involvement in mussel farming is one of the best ways to generate extra income for the family.Mussel farming can be done both in shallow and deep water. For deep water farming, raft culture and long line culture techniques are commonly used while rack culture, tray culture and stake culture techniques can be practiced in the shallow waters. Among these methods, the farmers of Kannur district prefer rack culture technique.Fig.-l. Involvement of women in seeding of musselVOL.35 N O . 7 I  F IS H IN G  C H IM ES - 39?nc:< f t 'b ru a ry  'o i  s, « Uit. I I c >yc>lf4 C<!I [# i_Fig.-2. Mrs. Saritha is seen receiving the award during 'Aqua Aquaria India - 2015'Mrs. Saritha's home is close to V aliyaparam bu River, where m ussel farming is being practised widely. In 2007, she started mussel farming in a small scale with help of the support of the family to meet their household requirement.But, this small start grew and she is now earning an income of Rs. 1.5 lakhs. Initially she faced hu rd les  such as in the m anagem ent of the rack and in marketing. However, the experience has he lped  her last season, w here she produced around 60 bags of mussel with each w eighing around  80-90kg. She m arkets  the produce m ainly in Thalassery and Goa through middlemen and 'today  this endeavour is not only ad d in g  substan tia lly  to the family income, but she has also been to support her son's higher education abroad.m ajor investm ent. R estricted  use of pestic ides and chemicals also helps to produce nutritious and healthy food at low cost which is the requirement of the current consum er base. M ussel fa rm ing  also acts as fish aggregating device which helps in increasing the fish catch.Seed procurementLike other aquaculture activities, the success of mussel farming also depends on the availability of quality seed. Natural collection is the main source of seed and it can be p rocu red  from  places like Thallessery, Kozhikode, Kasaragode, Alleppy, etc. in Kerala. Within 24 hours, the transported seed should be placed in sea water to prevent mortality. The price of seed is one of the major inputs in this system. Currently, the seed price is Rs. 3500-3600 perTable-1. Seed price trendHowever, the experience has helped her last season, she produced around 60 bags of mussel w ith  each weighing  around 80-90kg.Farming methodThere is surf less water present in the Valiyaparam bu area which makes it suitable for the production of mussel by rack culture. Salinity varies betw een20-35 ppt, and tem perature is around21-31-<'C th ro u g h o u t the year. The pollu tion free w ater strongly favours mussel farming. Green mussel is a filter feeder species, and naturally available plankton is the main food of mussel which reduces the application of feed and other chemicals which would otherwise be aYears Cost *(Rs.)2008-09 6002009-10 9002010-11 HOC2011-12 1400-16002012-13 ;20002013-14 !25002014-15 3500-3600* per 50 kg seed bagThe mussel farming in this region begins from the end of m onsoon, from N ovem ber - December when water salinity begins to increase. The requirements of seeds per rope (60cm) are 300-400 and the size of the seed is 23-40mm. After a culture period of 5-6 months, the survival rate is 35%.A light cloth material is used to attach the mussel seeds to the rope. The light cloth is immersed in water containing mussel seeds and it is soaked for four days, and mussel seeds get attached to the coir rope within this period.Structure of rackRack culture of mussel farming requires bambo6/ wooden poles, synthetic fibre rope, coconut coir, cloth and seeds. Bamboo/ wooden poles are erected with 3m gap between adjacent poles in surf less water body with the help of a traditional boat (Vallam). One end of the nylon rope is fixed to the bamboo poles and the other end is used for placing 60cm of coconut coir. This 60cm of coconut coir is fixed to the rope with the help of a synthetic thread (Fig;-3). This coconut coir provides roughsurfaces for the a ttachm ent of m ussel th rough their byssus threads. The rope is fixed in such a way that the lower portion does not touch the bottom and it should also not be exposed to sunlight during low tide. If the method is no^fo llow ed mussel production decreases. This rope structure is used for single crop only.Management, harvesting and marketingMussel farming does not require strict management, [t requires that the ropes and the sticks are cleaned every month which helps in keeping the mussel attached to the rope.Harvesting of mussel is done during the months of May and July. The weight of the harvested mussel is approximately triple of that of the stocked seed. Removal of mussels does not require much skill since only a little mechanical pressure is needed for removing the mussel from the rope. The current market rate of the harvested mussel w ithout any processing either directly in local market or through a co-operative society is Rs. 6000 per 50 kg box. Due to high market demand, the fishers do not face any problem with regard to its marketing. Mussel farm ers of V aliyaparam bu panchayat for example isassocia ted  w ith  K udum basree  (SHG) , A gency for D evelopm en t of A q uacu ltu re , Kerala (ADAK) and Mastyafed for help in mussel farming activities through techno logy  transfe r , m anagem en t, h a rv es tin g  and marketing.Scope for wom en entrepreneurshipM ussel fa rm ing  is one of the best m e thods  for generating women employment. Mussel farming can be setup with little or no assistance from men and without causing any hindrance to the daily house hold chores. The process of attaching mussel seed to the rope called 's e e d in g ' is h ow ever tim e consum ing . It requ ires  patience (Kripa and Surendrana than , 2008). M ussel farming does not require formulated artificial feed and regular m onitoring for grow th of mussel and thus it minimises the work load of the fisher. Similarly, during harvesting, women labourers are involved in removing the attached mussel and in cleaning the mussels. Women are also able to sell their produce for profit with the help of co-operative societies or SHGs.By gen era tin g  em ploym en t for w om en, m ussel farming could increases the participation of women in the d ev e lo p m en t of State. Therefore, coastal governments must encourage women to come forward for mussel farming in all possible cultivable areas by giving them assistance in technology and by providing financial support. At present, there is a provision of subsidy for all licensed mussel farmers in Kerala. But, subsidy itself would not be sufficient to encourage women to take up the activity. There are various of problems associated with mussel farming which include uncertainty in seed availability , m o rta lity  of seed du rin g  transportation, reduced growth in recent years due to pollution, lack of depuration facilities, lack of storage, cold room  and cold chain. These issues have to be ad d ressed  for fu r th e r  deve lopm en t of this type of farming.ConclusionMussel farming helps women empowerment without affecting the household activities and thus assists poor fishers of coastal State in enhancing their social-economic s ta tus. Therefore , m ussel farm ing  area sho u ld  be increased  th ro u g h  extension  activities, research  in p ro d u c tio n  technologies,, value a d d ed  p roduc ts , improving marketing channel and government support through SHGs, NGOs and co-operative societies.References1. KIRAN B. R.,VENKATESHWARLU M. and SHANKARMURTHY K., 2014.Fisheries Development in India -  An Overview. International Journal o f Emerging Trends in Engineering and Development, 4 (2): l& l  6 803.2. KRIPA V. and SURENDRANATHAN V.G., 2008. Social Impact and Women Empowerment through Mussel Farming in Kerala, India. Development,5l\ 199 6204.3. MANOJ N. R. and APPUKUTTAN K.K., 2003. Effect of temperature on the development, growth, survival and settlement of green mussel Perna viridis (Linnaeus, 1758). Aquaculture Research, 34: 1037 6 1045. H40 -FISHING CHIMES I OCTOBER 2015VOL.35 NO. 7 i FISHING CHIM ES- 41?nc:< f t 'b ru a ry  'o i  s, « Uit. I I c >yc>lf4 C<!I [# i_Fig.-2. Mrs. Saritha is seen receiving the award during 'Aqua Aquaria India - 2015'Mrs. Saritha's home is close to V aliyaparam bu River, where m ussel farming is being practised widely. In 2007, she started mussel farming in a small scale with help of the support of the family to meet their household requirement.But, this small start grew and she is now earning an income of Rs. 1.5 lakhs. Initially she faced hu rd les  such as in the m anagem ent of the rack and in marketing. However, the experience has he lped  her last season, w here she produced around 60 bags of mussel with each w eighing around  80-90kg. She m arkets  the produce m ainly in Thalassery and Goa through middlemen and 'today  this endeavour is not only ad d in g  substan tia lly  to the family income, but she has also been to support her son's higher education abroad.m ajor investm ent. R estricted  use of pestic ides and chemicals also helps to produce nutritious and healthy food at low cost which is the requirement of the current consum er base. M ussel fa rm ing  also acts as fish aggregating device which helps in increasing the fish catch.Seed procurementLike other aquaculture activities, the success of mussel farming also depends on the availability of quality seed. Natural collection is the main source of seed and it can be p rocu red  from  places like Thallessery, Kozhikode, Kasaragode, Alleppy, etc. in Kerala. Within 24 hours, the transported seed should be placed in sea water to prevent mortality. The price of seed is one of the major inputs in this system. Currently, the seed price is Rs. 3500-3600 perTable-1. Seed price trendHowever, the experience has helped her last season, she produced around 60 bags of mussel w ith  each weighing  around 80-90kg.Farming methodThere is surf less water present in the Valiyaparam bu area which makes it suitable for the production of mussel by rack culture. Salinity varies betw een20-35 ppt, and tem perature is around21-31-<'C th ro u g h o u t the year. The pollu tion free w ater strongly favours mussel farming. Green mussel is a filter feeder species, and naturally available plankton is the main food of mussel which reduces the application of feed and other chemicals which would otherwise be aYears Cost *(Rs.)2008-09 6002009-10 9002010-11 HOC2011-12 1400-16002012-13 ;20002013-14 !25002014-15 3500-3600* per 50 kg seed bagThe mussel farming in this region begins from the end of m onsoon, from N ovem ber - December when water salinity begins to increase. The requirements of seeds per rope (60cm) are 300-400 and the size of the seed is 23-40mm. After a culture period of 5-6 months, the survival rate is 35%.A light cloth material is used to attach the mussel seeds to the rope. The light cloth is immersed in water containing mussel seeds and it is soaked for four days, and mussel seeds get attached to the coir rope within this period.Structure of rackRack culture of mussel farming requires bambo6/ wooden poles, synthetic fibre rope, coconut coir, cloth and seeds. Bamboo/ wooden poles are erected with 3m gap between adjacent poles in surf less water body with the help of a traditional boat (Vallam). One end of the nylon rope is fixed to the bamboo poles and the other end is used for placing 60cm of coconut coir. This 60cm of coconut coir is fixed to the rope with the help of a synthetic thread (Fig;-3). This coconut coir provides roughsurfaces for the a ttachm ent of m ussel th rough their byssus threads. The rope is fixed in such a way that the lower portion does not touch the bottom and it should also not be exposed to sunlight during low tide. If the method is no^fo llow ed mussel production decreases. This rope structure is used for single crop only.Management, harvesting and marketingMussel farming does not require strict management, [t requires that the ropes and the sticks are cleaned every month which helps in keeping the mussel attached to the rope.Harvesting of mussel is done during the months of May and July. The weight of the harvested mussel is approximately triple of that of the stocked seed. Removal of mussels does not require much skill since only a little mechanical pressure is needed for removing the mussel from the rope. The current market rate of the harvested mussel w ithout any processing either directly in local market or through a co-operative society is Rs. 6000 per 50 kg box. Due to high market demand, the fishers do not face any problem with regard to its marketing. Mussel farm ers of V aliyaparam bu panchayat for example isassocia ted  w ith  K udum basree  (SHG) , A gency for D evelopm en t of A q uacu ltu re , Kerala (ADAK) and Mastyafed for help in mussel farming activities through techno logy  transfer , m anagem en t, h a rv es tin g  and marketing.Scope for wom en entrepreneurshipM ussel fa rm ing  is one of the best m e thods  for generating women employment. Mussel farming can be setup with little or no assistance from men and without causing any hindrance to the daily house hold chores. The process of attaching mussel seed to the rope called 's e e d in g ' is h ow ever tim e consum ing . It requ ires  patience (Kripa and Surendrana than , 2008). M ussel farming does not require formulated artificial feed and regular m onitoring for grow th of mussel and thus it minimises the work load of the fisher. Similarly, during harvesting, women labourers are involved in removing the attached mussel and in cleaning the mussels. Women are also able to sell their produce for profit with the help of co-operative societies or SHGs.By gen era tin g  em ploym en t for w om en, m ussel farming could increases the participation of women in the d ev e lo p m en t of State. Therefore, coastal governments must encourage women to come forward for mussel farming in all possible cultivable areas by giving them assistance in technology and by providing financial support. At present, there is a provision of subsidy for all licensed mussel farmers in Kerala. But, subsidy itself would not be sufficient to encourage women to take up the activity. There are various of problems associated with mussel farming which include uncertainty in seed availability , m o rta lity  of seed du rin g  transportation, reduced growth in recent years due to pollution, lack of depuration facilities, lack of storage, cold room  and cold chain. These issues have to be ad d ressed  for fu r th e r  deve lopm en t of this type of farming.ConclusionMussel farming helps women empowerment without affecting the household activities and thus assists poor fishers of coastal State in enhancing their social-economic s ta tus. Therefore , m ussel farm ing  area sho u ld  be increased  th ro u g h  extension  activities, research  in p ro d u c tio n  technologies,, value a d d ed  p roduc ts , improving marketing channel and government support through SHGs, NGOs and co-operative societies.References1. KIRAN B. R.,VENKATESHWARLU M. and SHANKARMURTHY K., 2014.Fisheries Development in India -  An Overview. International Journal o f Emerging Trends in Engineering and Development, 4 (2): l& l  6 803.2. KRIPA V. and SURENDRANATHAN V.G., 2008. Social Impact and Women Empowerment through Mussel Farming in Kerala, India. Development,5l\ 199 6204.3. MANOJ N. R. and APPUKUTTAN K.K., 2003. Effect of temperature on the development, growth, survival and settlement of green mussel Perna viridis (Linnaeus, 1758). Aquaculture Research, 34: 1037 6 1045. H40 -FISHING CHIMES I OCTOBER 2015VOL.35 NO. 7 i FISHING CHIM ES- 41

Women empowerment through green

mussel (Perna viridis) farming :

Focus on Kerala

http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/10862/1/Women%20Empowerment_Fishing%20Chimes_20156_Vivekanand%20Bharti.pdf

Women empowerment through green mussel (Perna viridis) farming : Focus on Kerala

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