The Department of Fisheries, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has notified the
Guidelines for import of live seaweeds into India. These guidelines seek to ensure biosecurity and protect domestic marine ecosystems. The guidelines were notified on October 21, 2024.
India’s History with Seaweed
India boasts a diverse range of approximately 844 seaweed species. Among these, red algae like Gelidiella acerosa, Gracilaria edulis, G. crassa, G. foliifera, and G. verrucosa are cultivated for agar production. Brown algae such as Sargassum spp., Turbinaria spp., and Cystoseira trinodis are utilized to produce alginates and liquid seaweed fertilizers.
What do the new guidelines cover?
The new guidelines outline specific conditions for importing live seaweed, including mandatory permits and phytosanitary certificates. The import of certain seaweed species will be restricted to prevent the introduction of invasive species and diseases.
Imported seaweed will be subjected to rigorous quarantine procedures, including inspection, testing, and potential fumigation or disinfection. The government is taking steps to minimize the risk of introducing harmful pathogens and diseases that could impact domestic seaweed cultivation and marine environments.
The government aims to promote domestic seaweed cultivation and reduce reliance on imports.
Rationale for New Regulations
Seaweed can harbor various diseases and pests that can harm marine ecosystems.
Additionally, strict import regulations will help protect the domestic seaweed industry from competition from foreign-sourced seaweed. As per the recent estimate by CMFRI, India has the potential to produce around 9.7 million tonnes of seaweed per year, while the current seaweed production is only 34 thousand tonnes.
At present live seaweed materials are not included under the import and export guidelines of India for agriculture articles framed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Government of India. The existing PQ Order-2003 regulates the import of ‘Seaweeds – Chondrus spp./ Ecklonia maxima/ Eucheuma
spp./Gelidium spp./ Gelidiella spp./ Gracilaria spp./ Kappaphycus spp./ Pteroclodia spp.’ in dried form for
consumption under Schedule VII.
The new regulations aim to ensure sustainable seaweed cultivation and harvesting practices.
