All farmers do farming, but nowadays Pearl farming trend is increasing rapidly. Less labor and higher profits are proving to be a bargain. Earlier, training for Pearl farming was given at Central Institute of Fresh Water Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar (Odisha), but now many other institutes are providing the training in the state. You can do a simple google search based on your location and chances are there will be an institute for Pearl farming near you.
Benefits of Pearl farming
There are many benefits of Pearl farming such as youth will get employment & profits are huge in this. This is the reason it is becoming more & more famous these days. Here we will discuss the whole process related to Pearl farming. Let’s start:
How to do Pearl Farming
The most favorable season for pearl cultivation is the time of autumn i.e. October to December. Beads can be cultivated in a pond of at least 10 x 10 feet or larger. For pearl cultivation, pearls can be produced from a maximum of 25000 oysters in a small pond like 0.4 ha. To start farming, the farmer has to collect oysters from ponds, rivers, etc. or they can also be purchased.
The farmer has to collect oysters from ponds, rivers, etc. or they can also be purchased. After this, after every minor operation in each oyster, simple or designed beads with a diameter of four to six mm like Ganesha, Buddha, floral shape, etc. are put inside it. The oyster is then closed. These oysters are kept in nylon bags for 10 days on anti-biotic and natural feed. These are inspected daily and dead oysters are removed.
Oysters are put in the Pond
Now, these oysters are put in the ponds. For this, they are hung in nylon bags (two oysters per bag) using bamboo or a bottle and left at a depth of one meter in the pond. These can be followed at the rate of 20 thousand to 30 thousand oysters per hectare. The material coming from inside starts to settle around the bead which takes the form of pearl in the end. After about 8-10 months, the oyster is ripped off and the pearl is removed.
Cost & Profits in Pearl Farming
A single oyster costs around 20 to 30 rupees at a lower cost. The price of one mm to 20 mm oyster pearl in the market is around Rs.300 to Rs 1500. Nowadays designer beads are being liked very much, which get a good price in the market. Much better money can be earned by exporting pearls in foreign markets than Indian market.
After removing the pearl from the oyster, the oyster can also be sold in the market. Many decorative items are made of oysters. The work of extracting perfume oil from oysters in Kannauj is also done on a large scale. Due to which oysters can also be sold in the local market immediately. The water of rivers and ponds is also purified by oysters so that the problem of water pollution can be dealt with to a great extent.
Where to take Training
Training in pearl farming is done at Central Institute of Fresh Water Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar (Odisha). The institute imparts technical training on pearl production to rural youth, farmers, and students. Farmers Help also provides technical training on pearl production to farmers and students. This institution is running training programs in Hapur.
Training program on pearl cultivation is also being conducted at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ganiwan in Chitrakoot district. Dr. Narendra Singh, Principal Scientist of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, says, "Rural youth, farmers can take training. We have started CP farming here."
Also, read - How to Check If a Pearl is Real?
