Brackishwater ecosystem has wide range of seafood species such as fish, shrimp, crab, seaweed, micro algae etc. with tremendous nutritional value as well as nutraceutical properties and in India, it has evolved as a commercial enterprise with an impressive annual growth rate of 6-7 percent. Out of total 3.9 million ha of the estuarine area estimated in India, 1.2 million hectares of coastal saline lands have been identified to be potentially suitable for brackish water farming. Only 15% of the potential brackishwater area is utilized for farming which shows there is a tremendous scope for further expansion. Also, about 9 million hectares of salt-affected lands were assessed in the hot semi-arid and arid ecoregion of northern plains and central highlands.

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