In freshwater pearl farming, freshwater cultured pearls are cultivated on a farm. For two to five years, the pearl farmer nucleates and cares for thousands of oysters to produce a beautiful, natural pearl. This feat requires both talent and luck. Predators, such as strong storms, degradation of the water supply or the spread of diseases or pests such as flies or mites may decimate pearl farms. Let’s find out a way of earning up to 4 lakhs from Pearl farming.

To begin pearl farming, you’ll need to get your hands on some oysters to nucleate. This used to entail a trip to the ocean to catch oysters. Nowadays, pearl producers realise that breeding their own is both easier and more productive. Oyster eggs and sperm oysters of the highest quality are already on the farm, so the farmer just needs to gather them. The sperm infects the eggs, resulting in a new generation of oyster farm larvae.

What are the advantages of pearl farming?

Quality yield

Pearl farming yields lightweight, non-perishable jewels that may be utilised in jewellery and other adornments. Pearls of higher quality and larger sizes can be produced with extreme care and proper nucleation. They can be stored for any length of time.

Huge market price

High-quality pearls may be worth between 300 and 1500 rupees, making this a lucrative venture. A wearable adornment made from the material raises its monetary value even more. Even though just a small percentage of harvested pearls yields the majority of the earnings, this nevertheless attracts a large number of individuals to the pearl farming industry.

Environment friendly

As well as making money, mussels and oysters have a unique capacity to purify water. Hundreds of litres of water may be cleaned by a swarm of a few thousand oysters. In addition, aquaculture‘s environmental friendliness is a draw for many. Pearl farming has been rated the most environmentally friendly activity so far, with a large number of farmers and specialists throughout the world partaking.

Generates employment

The fact that pearl farming creates jobs is a significant advantage. The pearl industry has been a source of income for tens of thousands of people, and it continues to expand. For as long as the ornament business exists, more and more individuals will be able to find work.

Less investment

A notable benefit of Pearl Farming is its low reliance on inputs. It is possible to raise around 25000 oysters in a small pond or body of water with just a minimal investment and few resources. To get started, you’ll need a dependable source of information. From there, the procedure is straightforward, but it takes time and involves a significant amount of risk.

What are the disadvantages of pearl farming?

It needs a reliable source

To run a successful pearl farm, you’ll need unlimited access to a variety of inputs, including oysters and grafting expertise. It starts with a long and time-consuming seeding phase when these fundamental inputs are obtained.

Time taking

As previously mentioned, the initial outlay is modest, but it is critical to get this venture off the ground. However, this requires an initial commitment of 2-3 years without any immediate or mid-term returns because of the extended wait for earnings.

Marketing

To sell and buy pearls, a reliable distribution route is needed, and this may be a time-consuming operation for producers. Before beginning this company, it is necessary to do a thorough study and gather the necessary number of pearls. The final value of these gemstones may be jeopardised if a large quantity of pearls is obtained. 

Risks

Over half of the organisms are destroyed during the seeding procedure, and many of the gems produced aren’t of the highest grade. Because of the unachievable production goals, this venture carries a significant amount of risk, which may be mitigated via careful planning.

Lack of knowledge

If you don’t have a farm, you’ll have to search the depths of the oceans and seas for natural pearls. It is a challenging process to grow cultured pearls. To produce cultured pearls, the nucleation procedure is used, since most pearls on the market are artificial. The natural ones are hard to get, and relatively few pearls are recovered from thousands of shells.

Earning up to 4 lakhs from Pearl farming

The success story of Mr. Abdullah

Mr. Abdhullah of Hyderabad, Telangana has been practising pearl farming for two years. Pearl farming is an unconventional business idea and many don’t have proper awareness of it. It has been discovered in recent years that pearl farming can also be done in the backyard of our homes, in buckets or tanks says Mr. Abdhullah. When asked about how he got the idea to start pearl farming, he replied that he learned about a farmer from Kerala, from a friend who cultivates fish.

He said that the farmer had successfully grown mussels and produced pearls in his backyard and also generated a nice income. And from that, he developed a keen interest and he also learned that the investment is low. He took the time and investigated it. Although he tried to gather information for 3 months, he understood that no one seems to have proper knowledge about pearl farming, and learned that pearls have a huge demand in the Indian and international markets.

While he tried to learn about pearl farming, he understood that it is better to take training from a professional, as he is failing to gain information about pearl farming. He then went to Kerala and met that pearl farmer named Matchan. He took a course under him and learned about all the techniques and steps to cultivate the mussels for pearls. He came back to Hyderabad and started building a small pond in his backyard for producing pearls.

The procedure of Pearl farming according to Mr. Abdhullah

While starting his farm Mr. Abdhullah bought nearly 300 mussels. For this, he arranged a water pond in the backyard of his farm. He says it didn’t take much effort to start the farm, and even the pond arrangement finished in a few days. He bought the mussels from a fisherman, he told him beforehand so the fisherman gathered the mussels. He bought each mussel for 25 rupees. Artificial pearls, natural pearls, and cultured pearls are the three varieties of pearls available.

Cultured pearls are the most simple to cultivate since freshwater mussels are readily available in India, says Mr. Abdhullah. Mr. Abdhullah says that it is necessary to test the water to determine if it is suitable for pearl growing as the first step toward establishing a Pearl Farming business. In a government laboratory, one can have the water analysed for contaminants. This will assist you in determining whether or not the mussels will survive in that particular water.

Mr. Abdhullah then started the process. You have to place a pearl nucleus for the mussel to make a pearl. For nacre to form, a pearl nucleus must be implanted into the gonad or the mantle of a freshwater mussel. A bead or other object must be inserted into these places to start the process, he said. After this process, you have to place the mussels inside the tanks you constructed. These can be even grown in buckets. The water in which you place the mussels should have a temperature of 15 to 25 degrees centigrade, says Mr. Abdhullah.

You have to provide them with algae to feed on. Make certain that the algae being fed to the mussels is of good quality since the quality of the pearl created will be affected by the quality of the algae used. You have to wait after this process. For a pearl to form it takes nearly 6 months, but these are only taken out at least after a year. The best thing would be to wait till one and a half years since the pearl can be grown to full size. The nucleus develops a pearl sac during 18 months, collecting calcium carbonate from mussel shells.

The nucleus covers itself in up to 540 layers, producing gorgeous pearls, he added. Seasonally, the best period for pearl farming is during the fall months, which are October through December. To grow oysters and mussels, the farmer will need to collect them from local ponds and other water bodies, or even buy them.

Marketing and financial analysis of Mr. Abdhullah’s pearl farm

Mr. Abdhullah told that a single mussel cost between twenty and thirty rupees. Mr. Abdhullah bought his pearls at the rate of 25 rupees per one. This makes his initial investment rupees 18,000 since it cost him 10,000 rupees for the preparation of ponds and labour. In the market, one millimetre to 20 mm mussel pearls cost between Rs.300 and Rs. 1500. Nowadays, designer beads are quite popular and command a great price on the market.

Exporting pearls to overseas markets earns far more money than selling them in the Indian market, he expressed. After 18 months of cultivating, he sold 380 pearls in the market. He sold his pearls at a price of rupees 1000 per pearl. From this, we can calculate his income is nearly 3,80,000 rupees after 18 months. If we erase his investment of rupees 18,000 from this, he is getting a profit of nearly 3,62,000 rupees. This is a pretty good income for such a small investment.

Mr. Abdhullah says that one can manage this business easily by doing other jobs or businesses. This takes minimal time to maintain and you have to just monitor once in a while if you’re providing the algae incorrect amounts. He suggests farmers try this business if they are searching for any side activities for income generation.

Frequently asked questions about Pearl farming (FAQ)

How much time does it take to produce a pearl?

The process of creating a pearl might take anywhere between six months and many years. Even before this, it takes around three years for the mussel to achieve maturity and generate a pearl. When a mussel reaches this mature stage, it may begin the pearl-making process spontaneously or with the assistance of humans.

Can we grow pearls at home?

Recirculating Aquaculture System is the technique used to produce pearls at home in buckets or small tanks. This technology works by purifying water from fish tanks and reusing it inside the tank.

Sorce from: Agri Farming (April 4, 2022). Earning Up to 4 Lakhs from Pearl Farming: A Success Story
of a Pearl Farmer in India. Agri Farming. https://www.miragenews.com/aciar-supported-scholars-graduate-new-fisheries-764524/