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Black pearl farming to begin in the Andamans

The Central Agricultural Research Institute, or CARI, at Port Blair is to take up cultivation of the highly expensive and coveted black pearls in the waters around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

CARI, a unit of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, or ICAR, has already established the feasibility of culturing these pearl varieties around the group of islands as it has the right water quality, temperature and environment needed for their growth, S P S Ahlawat, CARI director said.

The black pearl, about ten times more expensive than the commonly available white pearl, is only second to diamonds in terms of price and prestige. This variety, a native of the South Seas, is already found thriving in the Andaman and Nicobar waters.

Poachers from other countries have clandestinely exploited a good portion of the natural black pearl stocks around the island.

Ahlawat said CARI would collaborate with the Tuticorin unit of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, or CMFRI, another ICAR institute, for developing culturing techniques for black pearls. CMFRI has already commercialised the know-how for white pearl farming.

The black pearl needs clean sea water with high plankton content. It colonises in the less wavy waters around the coral reef areas and islands with less human activities. The Andaman and Nicobar are cluster of islands found the ideal for taking up commercial cultivation of, both, white and black pearl varieties, Ahlawat said.

He pointed out that the biggest success of the CARI's fisheries division was the introduction of popular fresh water carps like rohu, catla, mrigal and silver carp into the island group and their egg production for stocking in the local farmers' ponds.

R Sounderarajan, head of the fishery unit, said the induced breeding of these carps and distribution to farmers has helped put an end to sourcing them from Calcutta and Visakhapatnam.

About 40 per cent of the Andaman and Nicobar population, being of Bengali origin, prefers fresh water fish to sea catches which is abundantly available.

CARI has also developed a technology for impounding rainwater in small dykes and ponds so that the villagers can rear their favourite varieties of fresh water fish. All the fish seedlings necessary for annual stocking is made available to the local administration by CARI, Sounderarajan said.

UNI

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