Pearl Farming in India – Types, Process and Profitability

Table of Content 

• What is a Pearl and How are they Formed?
• What are the Different Types of Pearls?
  • Freshwater Pearls
  • Saltwater Pearls
  • Natural Pearls
  • Cultured Pearls
  • Artificial Pearls
• Pearl Farming in India
• Market Trends and Demand for Indian Pearls
• What is the Cultivation Process of Pearls?
  • Collections of Mussels
  • Pre-operative Conditioning
  • Mussel Surgery
  • Post-Operative Care
  • Pond Culture
  • Pearl Harvesting
• What are the Benefits of Pearl Farming?
• How Profitable is Pearl Farming?
• What are the Challenges in Pearl Farming in India?
• What are the Future Prospects of Pearl Farming in India?  

What is a Pearl and How are they Formed? 

Pearls, the “Queen of Gems”, are precious natural gems produced by marine oysters and freshwater mussels. They are shiny, lustrous, and come in various colours. They are formed when foreign particles, such as sand or insects, enter the oysters or mussels, causing irritation. To protect itself from irritants, oysters secrete nacre (90% calcium carbonate), which creates a layer of deposits over the foreign particles to form a natural pearl. 

What are the Different Types of Pearls? 

Pearls can be of different types depending upon the source and nature of pearls.

• Based on the source, they can be classified as freshwater pearls and marine pearls.  
• Based on nature, they can be categorized as natural pearls, cultured pearls, and artificial pearls.

 Let us look at each one of them briefly. 

Freshwater Pearls 

Mussels or oysters living in ponds, canals, and rivers are the main source of freshwater pearls. They are relatively small in size, are less expensive, and come in a wide range of colours. China ranks first as the leading producer of freshwater pearls.  

The three types of species found in India are Lamellidens marginalis, L. corrianus and Parreysia corrugata. They are mainly cultivated in Kashmir, Hyderabad, and Tamil Nadu. 

Saltwater Pearls 

Marine oysters are the main source of saltwater pearls. They are more expensive and lustrous, are larger and have less variety in size and colour. Japan, China, and Australia are the main suppliers of marine pearls. 

The main species found in India are Pinctada Fucata and Pinctada Margeretifera. 

Natural Pearls 

Natural pearls are formed naturally due to the deposition of nacre on the foreign particles that have entered the mussels or oysters. 

Cultured Pearls 

Cultured pearls are cultivated by surgically implanting foreign particles of a particular shape and size into the oysters’ body, inducing their secretion of nacre. It is the most prevalent pearl produced across the world, including India.

Artificial Pearls 

Artificial pearls are made of marble, plastics, glass, shell beads, ivory, etc. They are coated with pearl essence – a mixture of silvery extract of fish scales and enamel. 

Pearl Farming in India 

Pearl farming or moti farming is the process of producing natural, cultured, or artificial pearls from oysters or mussels in a given pond, canal or river. Of all the pearls produced, 99% are cultured pearls. The natural beds of marine pearl oysters Pinctada Fucata are found in the Gulf of Mannar, Gulf of Kutch, and Palk Bay Strait, whereas in the A& N Islands, the prevalent marine oyster is Pinctada Margeretifera.  

The pearl fishery in India was prevalent until 1967, when the last pearl fishery was done at Jamnagar coast in Gujarat. As a result, the gap between the demand and supply of pearls became evident, making it necessary for the government to start pearl culture in India. Pearl farming in India started in 1969 when the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) began the pearl culturing of freshwater oysters or mussels. Today, in India, both marine pearls and freshwater pearls are cultured to meet the increasing demand for pearls. 

Market Trends and Demand for Indian Pearls 

Indian pearls are one of the finest of ‘Oriental Pearls’, and they are in high demand. Yet, as per the OEC World data, India is the 19^th largest exporter of pearls and the 6^th largest importer of pearls globally in 2022. Further, freshwater pearls are preferred for making pearls in India as they come in a wide variety of colours and shapes and are more lustrous. Moreover, cultured pearls are preferred over natural pearls, and they are forecasted to grow further. 

What is the Cultivation Process of Pearls?

The pearl farming process comprises a series of steps, starting from the selection of a site to the selection of pearl farming kits to pearl harvesting. Let us see each step briefly. 

Collections of Mussels 

Mussels usually take 6 – 10 years to become ready for culture. So, hand-pick healthy mussel stocks for culture or implantation from natural water bodies such as rivers or ponds. Select the mussels based on their size. Usually, mussels measuring 8 cm in length and 35 grams in weight are ideal for culturing. 

Pre-operative Conditioning 

Pre-operative conditioning is an essential pre-requisite to aid surgical implantation. So, before performing surgical implantation, do the following: 

• Keep the selected mussels crowded for 24-36 hours to ease the relaxation of adductor muscles. 
• Stock the mussels in FRP/ferro cement tanks in aged tap water at a density of 1 mussel per litre of water. 
• Before starting the surgical procedure, keep the mussels in an upward-facing position for 30 minutes so that the opening part (ventral side) is facing upward and the umbo (dorsal side) is facing downwards. 

Mussel Surgery 

Mussel surgery to implant the nuclei into the mussel is the most crucial process in the entire pearl farming process. For this, you need to graft the nucleus, which is made of shell powder or acrylic powder, along with the mantle graft so that it later develops into a pearl sac.  

Three different methods of implantation are in practice, which are:  

• Mantle cavity implantation 
• Mantle tissue implantation 
• Gonadal implantation 

The choice of implantation method depends on the type of pearl targeted, that is, round pearl, designer / rice pearl, etc.  

Post-Operative Care 

• You should ensure post-operative care for 7-10 days to minimize the mortality and the rejection of implanted nuclei. 
• While taking care of the mussels, treat them with a broad spectrum of antibiotics to minimize rejection and ensure quick healing. 
• They are kept for 24 hours and, after a three-day interval, kept again up to nine days and fed with green algae along with vigorous aeration.  

Pond Culture 

The depth of the pond should be 1.5 - 2 m with a clay-soil bottom and slightly alkaline water that is devoid of aquatic macrophytes and algal blooms like Microcystis and Euglena. The ponds are employed with bamboo poles as rafts for suspending the implanted pearl mussels. 

Pearl Harvesting 

Harvesting of the pearls is carried out after the designated time of the culture, based on the implantation method undertaken, i.e. 12–18 months.  

The harvested mussels are sorted based on their quality, which is governed by shape, size, lustre, texture, and colour, followed by value addition.  

The mussels after harvest can be reused for implantation only if the mantle tissue method of surgery has been followed. However, in the case of the mantle cavity implantation method, the mussels must be sacrificed to harvest the pearls. 

What are the Benefits of Pearl Farming? 

• The final product is lightweight and non-perishable, commanding a high price in the market. 
• Processing pearls is simple, and they do not require refrigeration. Thus, the cost of pearl farming is low compared to fish farming. 
• It can be easily integrated with other aquaculture activities like fish farming. 
• It can double the income of farmers as freshwater mussels are found in almost every canal, river, and pond of a village. 
• By providing a sustainable source of pearls, it reduces the pressures on wild oysters. 

How Profitable is Pearl Farming? 

Pearl farming can be a highly profitable business. In India, freshwater mussels are largely preferred over marine oysters, and the profit from pearl farming depends on several factors. These are: 

• Mortality: How many mussels are alive by the time they are ready for harvest? 
• Nucleus Rejection: How many mussels have accepted the nucleus from a donor mussel? 

Further, each freshwater oyster containing two pearls costs INR 6 – INR 10 per piece. Depending upon the design, each harvester pearl can earn anywhere between INR 150 – INR 300. 

Now, if you want to start a 50,000 mussels project, then the total investment required is between INR 20 – 25 lakhs. Assuming only 45 – 55% of the total mussels are alive and yield pearls, then the return on investment after 2 years is anywhere between INR 50 – 55 lakhs. 

What are the Challenges in Pearl Farming in India? 

• Low number of freshwater pearl farmers in India. 
• Lack of an organized sector for pearl farming in the country. 
• Lack of proper brood stock management protocols. 
• Scattered availability of mussel broodstock. 
• Non-availability of standardized breeding technology. 
• Lack of standardized water quality management protocols as per different agro-climatic zones of India. 
• Few research institutes are involved in freshwater pearl mussel farming technology. 
• Poor extension network to disseminate the existing culture technologies and advances.  

So, though a profitable business, pearl farming involves huge challenges that need to be addressed for the rapid dissemination of this important technology. 

What are the Future Prospects of Pearl Farming in India?

To meet the financial risk associated with pearl farming, the Government of India has been providing subsidies and incentives to pearl farmers under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.  

Bhubaneshwar-based CIFA has been playing a pivotal role in disseminating freshwater pearl culture technology to farmers and entrepreneurs who are willing to carry out freshwater pearl culture.  

Every year, it conducts a training program wherein the candidates receive hands-on training on the different methods of implantation. They are also trained on cultural practice technologies, viz., pre-and post-operative care, food and feeding of mussels, optimal conditions necessary for pearl mussel culture, and water quality management.