The ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA) was established on April 1, 1987, under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) to promote sustainable brackishwater aquaculture in India. Over the past four decades, ICAR-CIBA has played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for brackishwater and provides robust technological backstopping in hatchery seed production, farming system diversification, indigenous formulated feed development and fish health management. Furthermore, ICAR-CIBA actively caters to stakeholder needs by delivering immediate, practical solutions from site selection to farm production. Brackishwater aquaculture sector in India has witnessed a major transformation from traditional farming practice to scientific farming practices which are now key contributor to the overall earning of foreign exchange through export. India’s seafood export attained all-time high of ₹72,325.82 crore (US $8.28 billion) in FY 2025-26 and frozen shrimp remained the principal catalyst of this record performance, contributing ₹47,973.13 crore (US $5.51 billion) and accounting for over two-thirds of total export earnings. The sector stands at the forefront of this transformation, contributing not only to food and nutritional security but also to employment generation, rural prosperity, and national economic growth. India has demonstrated remarkable progress; however, the opportunities before us extend far beyond increased production. The next phase of growth must be defined by sustainability, resilience, technological excellence, and inclusiveness.
ICAR-CIBA drives sectoral growth by aligning with the PMMSY national policy and equipping central and state departments with vital technical expertise. The newly developed Responsible Aquaculture Zone Planning (RAZP) toolkit assists coastal states in identifying optimal sites for aquaculture expansion. It achieves this by systematically integrating spatial data with environmental and legal considerations. ICAR-CIBA underpins sustainable and profitable brackishwater aquaculture by developing science-based feed technologies, functional diets, and innovative nutritional strategies that improve growth, health, feed efficiency, and resilience of cultured aquatic species while reducing production costs and environmental impacts. An indigenous climate-smart innovation, SIPNSF (Supe Intensive Precision and Natural Shrimp Farming) integrating precision engineering, practical automation, and nature-based processes for sustainable shrimp farming has immense potential for its proven benefits of improved production and climate smartness. To support sector futuristically, ICAR-CIBA has launched two major flagship national programmes, a PMMSY-funded Genetically improved programme of Penaeus indicus (GIPPI) aimed at selectively breeding the native shrimp for faster growth and higher survival rates and a shrimp crop insurance products developed in collaboration with insurance companies to protect shrimp farmers from catastrophic financial losses caused by disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and adverse water conditions. The native shrimp Penaeus indicus highly adapts to local environments and is now a national priority species. Consequently, ICAR-CIBA is building a state-of-the-art, bio-secured Nucleus Breeding Centre (NBC) at the Kovalam experimental station. CIBA has developed molecular, farmer-friendly diagnostic kits, alongside therapeutic and prophylactic agents critical for national disease control. Its NABL-accredited, specialized laboratory screens for WOAH-listed pathogens, providing stakeholders with the crucial data needed to implement proper farming practices. Additionally, CIBA offers expert consultancy for testing and developing innovative aquatic healthcare products. By developing and transferring innovative hatchery and farming technologies for species like seabass, pearlspot, and crabs, the institute enables stakeholders to adopt diversified farming practices.
I sincerely thank my predecessors for their foundational leadership. As ICAR-CIBA advances, we will deepen our ties with industry, government, and civil societies. This will allow us to boost community aquaculture and expand the reach of our innovative technologies
A warm welcome to ICAR-CIBA from all our staff. We look forward to delivering our very best services to you.