Title : Perspectives on seaweed culture in Madagascar
Abstract:
In 2018, the international production of algae reached about 35 million annual wet tons, with a predominant application for food (75%) and to a less extent to the agro-food industry (15%), cosmetics and the pharmaceutical industry (10%) (FAO, 2018). In the same year, the seaweed market accounted for a total annual value of US $ 13 billion, in which cultivated algae represented 96% of the total volume. Commercial culture of seaweed is present in around 35 countries, located in temperate and also in tropical waters such as Madagascar. The cultivation of red algae in the island started precisely in 1989 within its southwestern region under the aegis of the IHSM (Halieutic Institute of Marine Sciences). The first cultivation trials took place and will continue for several years with ups and downs. It is only in 1998 that an enhanced strain of Euchema striatum was introduced from Zanzibar to sustain a better resistance to diseases and maintain a higher growth rate compared to local strains. More than twenty years later, in 2020, the production reached 2,300 tons of dry algae, mainly from two species Kappaphycus sp. and Euchema denticulatum. Despite being promising, the annual production volume is subject to changing environmental conditions (warming or natural disaster) and mainly to diseases such as the Epiphytic Filamentous Algae. Despite a strong development potential, this sector remains weakened. It has been pointed out that Research, innovation and Biosecurity are to be taken into consideration rigorously in order to guarantee a sustainable development of the sector. Consistent with this, the development of private strain banks through the hybridization with local strains was developed with the funding from GlobalSeaweedSTAR.
