Capacity building programme on mud crab fattening at Kochi, Kerala

 

    A capacity building cum and demonstration programme on mud crab fattening and rearing was organised by Stem Systems Pvt. Ltd. in collaboration with KUFOS, Kochi and ICAR-CCARI, Goa on 26 October 2024 at KUFOS, Kochi. The training programme covered sessions on mud crab farming, biology, breeding and health management. The recent advances in mud crab fattening technology using designed FRP barrels was demonstrated to farmers in the fish cage cum crab fattening unit. About 54 participants including 8 women (farmers, entrepreneurs and students) from 8 coastal districts of Kerala, participated in the training programme. The training covered field demonstrations on the mud crab biology, advances in mud crab farming and the novel crab fattening technology. The participants were also exposed to the cage culture, crab fattening units in natural waters, vertical homestead crab fattening system and given practical demonstration in identification of crab, sexual dimorphism, water crabs, feeding, handling crab, size grading, detecting deformities, packing and marketing. Since inception and establishment of the crab fattening system through the capacity building programmes, selected successful farmers (Shri Pavithran from Payyannur, Kannur coastal district and Shri Akshay from Poochakkal, Alappuzha coastal district) were felicitated during the programme. Through the series of capacity building programmes, the total number of farmers trained is summed to about 300 and approximately 120 farmers started the crab fattening units in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. The programme was coordinated by Mr Arun Das, Dr Sreekanth GB, and Ms Aswathy T.