Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Oct 24: Goa is planning to expand mud crab farming as an additional source of income for coastal communities, drawing on the experience of Andhra Pradesh, where farmers earn nearly Rs 68,000 per acre per crop.
The ICAR–Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (CCARI) at Old Goa is developing a farming model suited to the state's coastal conditions after studying commercial mud crab farms in Koduru Mandal of Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district.
According to information accessed by The Goan, a farm budget from the Koduru cluster showed an operating cost of Rs 1.02 lakh per acre per crop against gross revenue of Rs 1.70 lakh. With a harvest of 160 kg, farmers earned net returns of Rs 67,960, recording a benefit-cost ratio of 1.67.
Market prices varied according to the size of the crabs, ranging from Rs 400 per kg for smaller crabs to Rs 1,700 per kg for those weighing more than 750 grams.
The initiative comes in the wake of the Goa government's Financial Assistance Scheme for Setting up Mud Crab Culture Units, aimed at promoting scientific crab farming. It also aligns with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant's appeal to residents, particularly traditional crab harvesters, to avoid catching and consuming berried female crabs carrying eggs to protect wild populations and ensure the sustainability of the fishery.
CCARI plans to develop a farming model suitable for Goa's khazan lands, estuarine banks and mangrove fringes. Demonstration units will be established at the institute's Ela farm and on farmers' fields to help assess suitable techniques and encourage adoption.
Beneficiaries of the state scheme, particularly women’s self-help groups, fishing families and rural youth, will receive practical training in mud crab culture. The institute also plans to organise farmer clusters for collective procurement of crab seed and marketing, while connecting producers with hotels, restaurants and the tourism sector.
The initiative is expected to help bring underused coastal land into productive use, generate rural employment and reduce dependence on crab supplies from other states.
In a related initiative, CCARI, in collaboration with The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), conducted a four-day training and awareness programme in Andhra Pradesh on climate-resilient fish farming and financial literacy under an Asian Development Bank-funded project.
The programme covered climate-smart aquaculture, disease prevention, farm management, insurance and financial services. Field visits to farms engaged in Pangasius, seabass, shrimp and crab cultivation highlighted challenges such as poor-quality seed, high temperatures, deteriorating water quality, feed costs and marketing constraints.
A total of 146 farmers, including 27 women, participated in the programme. The findings are expected to guide future training and technical interventions to improve climate resilience and strengthen sustainable livelihoods among smallholder fish farmers.