© ICAR-CMFRI
Women farmers in the Kerala villages of Moothakunnam and Kottappuram have reaped a bumper harvest of green mussels under the guidance of the ICAR- Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). The farming group from Moothakunnam harvested a total yield of 1.5 tonnes from the farms, with an additional 1 tonne of green mussels coming from Kottappuram.
Started in December 2023, the farming self-help groups provided the communities, which have been recently affected by severe flooding, with an additional livelihood option through bivalve cultivation. The farming of mussels and other bivalve molluscs can represent a financially beneficial activity for small communities, as mussels require no feed input. However, the initial startup costs for bivalve cultivation can be limiting.
Despite worries of post-flood changes to the aquatic ecosystems of the villages, the farmers are now celebrating their successful bumper crop. After the harvest, the produce underwent depuration - a scientific process of expelling contaminants from the gills and gut of mussels by providing them with well-purified seawater before they are used for consumption. The mussels produced by the Moothakunnam and Kottappuram farmers were subsequently taken for commercial sale by the CMFRI.
