Pearl Farming in India – Process, Investment & Profit, A TO Z

5. How to Start Pearl Farming in India? – Full Process

• Here are a few steps involved in starting pearl farming in India. Let’s review these steps to help you further establish a pearl farming business plan in India.

1. Site Selection & Setting Pearl Farming

• You have to select the site and get its water approved by government-approved laboratories. AAFTC approved laboratories are ideal as they are genuine and reliable. Their test will help you decide whether the water quality is good for pearl farming or not.

2. Obtaining Pearl Oyster Stock

• After site selection, it’s important to obtain the oyster stock through the following methods

Spat Collection 

• In this method, you can collect the young swimming oyster larvae called spat. These larvae are in a perfect state for grafting and can be easily attached to any surface.

Hatchery Production

You can also refer to hatchery-produced spat if they are available in your area and are reasonably priced.

Collect Adult Oysters

You can collect adult oysters that are available at reasonable prices. However, they have more mortality risk.

3. Oysters hanging proces.

Once you have acquired the stock of oysters, keep them in the approved water site. You can hang them in chaplets, which are similar to circlets or garlands. You can place them in big net containers.

4. Surgery of pearl farming.

You can use artificial grafting to develop pearls. You can plant an artificial nucleus in a pearl oyster’s tissue that will develop into a pearl.

5. Pearl Growing Process

Once you implant the nucleus, it irritates the oyster. And as a result, the oyster covers itself with a calcium carbonate layer. It will take 12-24 months for pearls to develop. During this transition, take proper care, feed them timely, and prevent them from any kind of infection. 

6. Pearl Marketing Process.

• After farming you can sell this pearl anywhere at any time you can.

• Once you have pearls produced, ensure you market them to the right market. You can endorse them to jewellery, cosmetics, and garment brands. Have a marketing strategy in place. And if you have a good quality stock of pearls, you won’t have to bid hard to trade them in the market. Their quality will speak for themselves. 

6. Pearl Farming Costs & Profit Analysis.

To make the best decisions, farmers must be aware of the expenses and benefits related to pearl farming. The main financial factors to think about are listed below:

1. Pearl farming invest cost.

• 1. Oyster Price: ₹ 20-30 per oyster.
• 2. Pearl Price: ₹ 300-1500 for a pearl (1-20 mm size).
• 3. Demand: Pearls are in high demand for jewellery, cosmetics, paint, and clothing.
• 4. Initial Investment: ₹20,000 to ₹25,000 required to start pearl farming.
• 5. Potential Earnings: Up to Rs 300,000 income from this investment.
• 6. ROI: Expect a 60-75% return on initial expenditure.

Time Commitment: Pearl farming is easy to start but requires patience; it may take up 1 to 3 years to achieve a steady income (approx).

Pearl Farming Cost.

• Costs of obtaining oysters through 3 popular methods – spat collection, purchase of hatchery-produced spat, and collection of adult oysters.
• Cost to purchase boats.
• Types of equipment and supplies.
• Labour costs
• Set up costs for farm structure (lines, rafts, floats, etc.).
• Fee of Technical Advisor
• Marketing Expenses
• Surgery technician cost
• Licensing cost
• Licensing cost (if you want to scale this commercially)

1. Cost Assumption for Pearl Farming – Let’s Estimate

• Requirements

Pearl Farming Project Area	½ to ¾ acres
Cultured Technique for Pearl Farming	Double Implantations
Density for stocking	9,000-10,000 mussels
Timeline for culture	12-15 months

• COST AND REVENUE ASSUMPTIONS FOR PEARL FARMING.

1. TOTAL COST OF MUSSEL HOLDING TANKS- RS 40,000
2. TOTAL BEMBOO AND ROPES COST- RS 45,000
3. LEASE AMOUNT OF CULTURED POND-RS 20,000
4. MUSSELS SURGICAL SETS TOTAL COSTS- RS 25,000
5. MUSSELS COSTS IN THE POND- RS 13,000
6. TOTAL NUCLIUS COST – RS 60,000
7. COST OF SKILL LEBOUR AND
8. TOTAL COST OF POND MAINTION- RS 35,000
9. HARVESTING AND PROCESSING COST- RS 20,000

TOTAL PROJECT COST- RS 3,98,000.

1. Subsidy for Pearl Farming in India

• As a part of the blue revolution scheme in the fisheries sector, the Central Government will provide subsidies to Indian fisheries. The subsidy amount will be 50% of the total cost of setting up a pond for pearl cultivation.

• The aim of this subsidy is to help farmers increase their income. By investing Rs. 25000, the farmers will be able to earn an income of up to Rs. 3,00,000. 

2. Eligibility, Documents & Applying Process for Pearl Farming Subsidy

• The applicant must be an Indian citizen and a farmer by occupation. He/she must have acquired knowledge through pearl farming training in India.

Following are the documents important for subcidy application for Subsidy:

• 1. Domicile Certificate.
• 2. Category Certificate.
• 3. Aadhaar Card.
• 4. Bank Account Details.
• 5. Pond area and farming details.
• 6. Passport size photographs.

You need these documents for taking subsity of pearl farming.

7. How to do Pearl Farming at Home ?

You can easily do pearl farming in a bucket or fish tank at home. The process is called Recirculating Aquaculture System. Here are a few steps you need to follow to start pearl farming at home.

• Arrange two fish tanks, and place them over each other. Drill a hole in the tank above so that water can flow to the tank below.
• Add an air pump that will regulate water flow and temperature. The pump system, once fitted, should be run a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening for 7 consecutive days.
• Ensure the single tank dimensions as Length – 3 feet, Width – 2.5 feet, and depth – 1.5 feet. This dimension can easily accommodate 50 mussels at a time.
• Give required minerals and vitamins to mussels. Make sure the algae you are providing to mussels are of good quality. As their quality will impact the quality of pearls cultivated at the end.
• As an estimate, setting this up will cost you a maximum of Rs. 20,000. It is a good investment, given the profit volume, you can achieve in the end.

Please note that if you are planning to trade pearls commercially, you should apply for a licence.

1. Licences and Registrations Needed to Setup Pearl Farm

• 1. Permissions from fisherman’s cooperative society
• 2. Certificate from CIFA (Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture)
• 3. GST Registration
• 4. Land and Lease agreements

8. Pearl Farming Conclusion.

• Pearl farming in India is commercially viable and profitable. Given the demand for pearls, higher employability, and huge returns, pearl farming is the next best thing to pursue.

• Pearls have a huge demand outside the jewellery segment. They are in equal demand even in cosmetics, medicine, and the clothing industry. With proper licensing and pearl farming training, you can stand up a profitable business model.

• However, note that pearls require 12-24 months to develop. So initially, you will have to be patient before trading it. And make sure you calculate your costs as explained above to avoid any sudden expenses.

• On a single project, with time, dedication and resources, you can stand to earn 50-60% of the return. Pearl farming is definitely a profitable business model that anyone with the willingness to start a business can think about.

9. Frequently Asked Questions About Pearl Farming.

1. Que. Is pearl farming profitable in India?

Ans. Pearl farming can help earn income up to Rs 10-12 lakhs, in which Rs 8 lakhs could be the profit.

2. Que. What is pearl farming called?

Ans. Pearl farming is the process of cultivating freshwater cultured pearls on a farm.

3. Que. What is the best season for pearl cultivation?

Ans. Autumn season from October to December is the best time to collect oysters/mussels from water bodies or local ponds. 

4. Que. Is there any pearl farming training by the Government?

Ans.  CIFA (Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture) under ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) provides technical training to rural farmers, students, and youths.

5. Que. How much is pearl farming profit in India?

Ans. From a single project of initial investment of 4 lakhs, you can expect to get a return of 50-60%.

6. Que. Where are pearls found in India?

Ans. Pearls are found in Gujarat State coast in the Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Mannar along the Tamilnadu State coast.

7. Que. How  to start a pearl farming business?

Ans. To start pearl farming business, select the location, decide the investment, resources to culture pearls, get direction apurba agriculture farming and training centre and acquire the right training.

8. Que. What is the most expensive pearl in India?

Ans. South Sea Pearls, which are priced around INR 6,500/gm.

9. Que. Is pearl farming taxable in India?

Ans. No, pearl farming is free from India’s income tax.

10. Que. pearl farming training centre name of the privet company.

Ans. Top level pearl farming training centre name is APURBA AGRICULTURE FARMING AND TRAINING CENTRE. ( This is a privet company )