Focus To Enhance Climate Resilience Through Sustainable Crab Aquaculture in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: The state project management unit of the Enhancing Climate Resilience of India’s Coastal Communities (ECRICC) project on Thursday organised the crab farmers’ and exporters’ meet in Bhubaneswar. The event brought together crab farmers, exporters, government representatives, and technical experts to promote sustainable aquaculture practices and create robust market linkages.

Inaugurating the event, Prem Kumar Jha, director, environment-cum-special secretary and state project director, ECRICC project, emphasized the pivotal role of mud crab aquaculture in strengthening Odisha’s fisheries sector. He explained how this initiative is likely to ensure sustainable source of income to local communities in coastal area.

Dr Archiman Lahiri, deputy director, MPEDA, highlighted the increasing demand for high-quality mud crabs in international markets and the immense potential for Odisha to emerge as a leading exporter.

The ECRICC project, supported by the Green Climate Fund, aims to bolster the livelihoods of vulnerable coastal populations, particularly in Odisha and two other states, namely, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh. The project focuses on fostering climate-adaptive livelihoods and enhancing the resilience of coastal communities to climate change impacts.

In Odisha, the project is being implemented in 7 landscapes of 4 districts (Puri, Ganjam, Kendrapada and Balasore) by forest, environment and climate change department.

The plans for 2025 include identifying additional farmers, scaling crab aquaculture practices, and establishing a dedicated crab hatchery in Odisha to ensure sustainable seed supply will be drawn in consultation with all stakeholders. The capacity building of all concerned including farmers will be one of the major activities of the project. The strategies for improving farmers' access to international markets, quality checks, and export documentation etc were discussed to be facilitated through the exporters.