CMFRI to Honour Akhilamol and Sangeetha Sunil for their Entrepreneurial Success in Fisheries

KOCHI:
On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) will honour Akhilamol M A and Sangeetha Sunil for their remarkable achievements in the role of entrepreneurs in the fisheries sector. The honour is in recognition of their perseverance and entrepreneurial spirit which enabled them to achieve success against all odds. They will be felicitated by CMFRI during the International Women’s Day celebration to be held at the Institute on Monday (March 10).

While Akhilamol excelled in fish farming and consultancy services, Sangeetha thrived in fish value addition. Both of them are the beneficiaries of CMFRI’s Science Technology and Innovation (STI) Hub project, which focuses on training and capacity building for gender mainstreaming in the fisheries sector.

Driven by the need to support her children’s education, Akhilamol, hailing from Kodungallur, began her career with fish farming. Participation in a CMFRI training programme led to a career change, providing her with the skills and knowledge to generate income through aquaculture. Building on this foundation, she developed her entrepreneurial skills and set up a fish consultancy to guide others in the sector. Under the guidance of STI Hub of CMFRI, Akhilamol now manages a thriving one-acre integrated fish farming unit near Kodungallur. This unit showcases a diverse range of activities, including the farming of sea bass, pearl spot and mullet alongside poultry rearing, vegetable cultivation and floriculture. Moreover, she has a cage farming venture underway in Kodungallur backwaters and provides business consultancy service under the banner ‘Ponnoos Aqua Clinic’.

A resident of Nayaramabalam in Ernakulam district, Sangeetha on the other hand channelled her passion into fish value addition. She developed her business specialising a wide array of value-added fish products under a brand name ‘Salt N Spicy’. This includes fish pickle, cutlet, chutney powder and dry prawn along with a variety of other seafood delicacies. Her commercialisation of indigenous seafood varieties significantly contributed to her popularity within the business. This was evident at the recently held CMFRI fish festival, where her stall attracted a large crowd, highlighting a strong appeal for the indigenous varieties introduced by her. She is a regular supplier of value-added fish products to the Agricultural Technology Information Centre (ATIC) Sales Counter at CMFRI campus.

CMFRI’s STI Hub is an external funded project of the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi which empowers fisheries entrepreneurs with cutting-edge training, technology, and support to drive innovation, sustainability, and success.