The Rajiv Gandhi Center for Aquaculture (RGCA), the aquaculture research center of the Indian Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA), is planning to start producing Genetically Improved Farm Tilapia (GIFT) seeds at its multi-species complex near Kochi to support the aquaculture industry in Kerala, according to local news.
GIFT is a fast-growing, hardy and resilient strain of Nile tilapia developed by the World Fish Center in Malaysia through selective breeding and is currently being selectively bred at the RGCA.
Three million GIFT seeds were sold in the last fiscal year and the center targets five million for this year. Authorities said that the only authentic GIFT in India is the one supplied by RGCA.
