POST GRADUATE INSTITUTE OF AGRI-BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

JUNAGADH AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY, JUNAGADH

POST GRADUATE SEMINAR
SYNOPSIS

Speaker : Gondaliya Dhrupalkumar Vinubhai Course No. : ABM-591

Degree
` : MBA (Agribusiness Management) Date : 07/06/2024
Reg. No. : 2072123008 Venue : Seminar Hall
Advisor : Dr. Kalpesh Kumar Time : 15:00 to 16:00

“Challenges and opportunities of pearl farming in India”

INTRODUCTION
The “Queen of Gems,” pearl, has a long history of cultural significance and great
commercial demand, making it one of the most profitable aquaculture ventures in countries
with extensive bivalve resources. Pearl harvesting was once restricted to wild aquatic
resources, but with the innovation and standardization of pearl producing processes, it has

Despite its economic

become a profitable aquaculture practice

value, profi tability, minimum labour,

there has been relatively little mussel
farming in India
compared to fi sh and shellfi sh culture.
Underlying reasons
include a low number of freshwater pearl
farmers in India
and the lack of an organised sector for
pearl farming in the
country, which is one of the pressing
concerns behind the
situation. Other factors include a lack of
proper brood stock
1
management protocols, scattered
availability of mussel brood-
stock, non-availability of standardised
breeding technology
A pearl is a gemstone that is generated by living organisms, Pearls are generated in
nature when an irritant, such as a sand grain or a parasite, is swept into the pearl molluscs and
lodged within it, where it is coated with micro-layers of nacre, a lustrous substance made up
of 80–90 per cent aragonite crystals of CaCO3 and organic proteins. One of the most
prevalent proteins identified in pearls is conchiolin. The “Queen of Gems,” pearl, has a long
history of cultural significance and great commercial demand, making it one of the most
profitable aquaculture ventures in countries with extensive bivalve resources. Pearl
harvesting was once restricted to wild aquatic resources, but with the innovation and
standardization of pearl producing processes, it has become a profitable aquaculture practice
(Saurabh et al.2022).

GLOBAL SENARIO
Commercial pearl production is currently taking place in a number of nations
throughout the world. China and Japan are the main producers of freshwater and marine
pearls, respectively, whereas China is the world’s biggest producer of pearls, including both
marine and freshwater pearls, accounting for 98% of global pearl production (Anon, 2024).

INDIAN SENARIO
In 2022 India exported $3.79M Pearls, making it the 19th largest exporter of Pearl in
the world. Also, in same year India imported $35.1M Pearls, becoming the 6th largest
importer of Pearl in the world (Anon, 2024).

PEARL FARMING TECHNOLOGY

Freshwater pearl farming procedures vary depending on the surgery performed on the
pearl mussel’s internal anatomy and the type of ideal pearl result. Cultured pearl production
involves six basic steps: mussel collection, pre-operative conditioning, nucleus preparation
and surgical insertion, post-operative care, pond culture of implanted mussels, and harvest.
To avoid graft and mantle rejection and minimize the post-operative mortality rate,
implantation can be done at any time of year, with the exception of May–June (summer
season) (Saurabh et al.2022).
.

espite its economic value, profi tability,

minimum labour,
there has been relatively little mussel
farming in India
2
compared to fi sh and shellfi sh culture.
Underlying reasons
include a low number of freshwater pearl
farmers in India
and the lack of an organised sector for
pearl farming in the
country, which is one of the pressing
concerns behind the
situation. Other factors include a lack of
proper brood stock
management protocols, scattered
availability of mussel brood-
stock, non-availability of standardised
breeding technology, a
lack of standardised water quality
management protocols as
per diff erent agro-climatic zones of
India
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Suman et al. (2021) studied Freshwater pearl culture practices and challenges in India.
freshwater pearl farming is an emerging sector of the aquaculture commerce in India and
laudable progress has been made in developing and standardizing the culture techniques. But
many obstacles such as the need for proper dissemination of culture technologies among the
interested folks, standardized breeding protocol, limited research programmes and so on need
to be addressed by the scientific community to boost the contribution of freshwater pearl
farming to the national aquaculture produce. Efforts should also be made in producing
improved varieties of freshwater pearl producing mussel species and enhancing the quality of
pearl produced by the same.
3
 Yadav and Sharma (2022) Studied on Pearl Farming: An Economically Viable
Entrepreneurship Development Opportunity in Rajasthan. A study on pearl farming in
Rajasthan shows it to be a profitable business opportunity. The average annual income is
around ₹1 lakh, with government subsidies further increasing profitability. Pearl seed and
nucleus are the main ongoing costs. While there are challenges, this report finds pearl
farming to be a viable and growing industry in Rajasthan.

Mendiburu et al. (2022) studied different aspects involving ethanol combustion and
utilization in Brazil. The research suggested sugarcane-based ethanol is a cleaner burning fuel
than corn-based ethanol. While significant progress has been made in modeling ethanol
combustion, there's room for improvement, particularly regarding hydrogen abstraction by
HO2 radicals and low-temperature, high-pressure scenarios The research also explored the
use of ethanol in different engine types and highlighted areas for future development, such as
optimizing ethanol concentration in blends, improving injection strategies, and investigating

Despite its economic value, profi

long-

tability, minimum labour,

there has been relatively little mussel
farming in India
compared to fi sh and shellfi sh culture.
Underlying reasons
include a low number of freshwater pearl
farmers in India
and the lack of an organised sector for
pearl farming in the
country, which is one of the pressing
concerns behind the
situation. Other factors include a lack of
proper brood stock
management protocols, scattered
availability of mussel brood-
4
stock, non-availability of standardised
breeding technology
CHALLENGES OF PEARL FARMING IN INDIA
Despite its economic value, profitability, minimum labour, there has been relatively
little mussel farming in India compared to fish and shellfish culture. Underlying reasons
include a low number of freshwater pearl farmers in India and the lack of an organized sector
for pearl farming in the country, which is one of the pressing concerns behind the situation.
Other factors include a lack of proper brood stock management protocols, scattered
availability of mussel brood-stock, non-availability of standardized breeding technology, a
lack of standardized water quality management protocols as per di fferent agroclimatic zones
of India, few research institutes involved in freshwater pearl mussel farming technology, and
a poor extension network to disseminate the existing culture technologies and advances.
(Suman et al.2021)

espite its
CHALLENNGES TO ETHANOL FUEL SECTOR IN INDIA

economic value, profi tability, minimum

labour,
there has been relatively little mussel
farming in India
compared to fi sh and shellfi sh culture.
Underlying reasons
include a low number of freshwater pearl
farmers in India
and the lack of an organised sector for
pearl farming in the
country, which is one of the pressing
concerns behind the
situation. Other factors include a lack of
proper brood stock
5
management protocols, scattered
availability of mussel brood-
stock, non-availability of standardised
breeding technology, a
lack of standardised water quality
management protocols as
per diff erent agro-climatic zones of
India
Despite its economic value, profi tability,
minimum labour,
there has been relatively little mussel
farming in India
compared to fi sh and shellfi sh culture.
Underlying reasons
include a low number of freshwater pearl
farmers in India
and the lack of an organised sector for
pearl farming in the
country, which is one of the pressing
concerns behind the
situation. Other factors include a lack of
proper brood stock
6
management protocols, scattered
availability of mussel brood-
stock, non-availability of standardised
breeding technology, a
lack of standardised water quality
management protocols as
per diff erent agro-climatic zones of
India, few research insti-
tutes involved in freshwater pearl mussel
farming technology,
and a poor extension network to
disseminate the existing
culture technologies and advances. So,
pearl farming, though
a profi table business, involves huge
challenges which need
to be addressed for rapid dissemination
of this important
technology
Despite its economic value, profi tability,
minimum labour,

7
there has been relatively little mussel
farming in India
compared to fi sh and shellfi sh culture.
Underlying reasons
include a low number of freshwater pearl
farmers in India
and the lack of an organised sector for
pearl farming in the
country, which is one of the pressing
concerns behind the
situation. Other factors include a lack of
proper brood stock
management protocols, scattered
availability of mussel brood-
stock, non-availability of standardised
breeding technology, a
lack of standardised water quality
management protocols as
per diff erent agro-climatic zones of
India, few research insti-
tutes involved in freshwater pearl mussel
farming technology,
8
and a poor extension network to
disseminate the existing
culture technologies and advances. So,
pearl farming, though
a profi table business, involves huge
challenges which need
to be addressed for rapid dissemination
of this important
technology
Despite its economic value, profi tability,
minimum labour,
there has been relatively little mussel
farming in India
compared to fi sh and shellfi sh culture.
Underlying reasons
include a low number of freshwater pearl
farmers in India
and the lack of an organised sector for
pearl farming in the
country, which is one of the pressing
concerns behind the

9
situation. Other factors include a lack of
proper brood stock
management protocols, scattered
availability of mussel brood-
stock, non-availability of standardised
breeding technology, a
lack of standardised water quality
management protocols as
per diff erent agro-climatic zones of
India, few research insti-
tutes involved in freshwater pearl mussel
farming technology,
and a poor extension network to
disseminate the existing
culture technologies and advances. So,
pearl farming, though
a profi table business, involves huge
challenges which need
to be addressed for rapid dissemination
of this important
technology
CONCLUSION
Freshwater pearl farming is an emerging sector of the aquaculture commerce in India
and laudable progress has been made in developing and standardizing the culture techniques.

10
But many obstacles such as the need for proper dissemination of culture technologies among
the interested folks, standardized breeding protocol, limited research programs and so on
need to be addressed by the scientific community to boost the contribution of freshwater pearl
farming to the national aquaculture produce. Efforts should also be made in producing
improved varieties of freshwater pearl producing mussel species and enhancing the quality of
pearl produced by the same. In the future, this pearl-growing method is expected to become
one among the most well-known components of India’s freshwater aquaculture.

REFERENCES
Suman, S.; Saurabh, S.; Pradhan, S.; Kumar, A. P.; Das, R. and Krishna, G. 2021. Freshwater
Pearl Culture Practices and Challenges in India. Aquaculture Asia. 24(4):19-22.
Anonymous. 2024c. Pearls in India. Available at < https://oec.world/en/profile/bilateral-
product/pearls/reporter/ind > Last accessed on 18th April, 2024.
Anonymous. 2024b. Global Pearl Market Report. Available at <
https://www.valuemarketresearch.com/report/pearl-market > Last accessed on 17th
April, 2024.
Yadav, R. and Sharma, A. 2022. Pearl Farming: An Economically Viable Entrepreneurship
Development Opportunity in Rajasthan. Entrepreneurship in Livestock and
Fisheries. 22(1):245-255.
Anonymous. 2021. Recent trends in fresh water pearl farming in India. Available at <
www.intechopen.com > Last accessed on 15th May, 2024.

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