Whereas seaweed processing and product growth are receiving probably the most investments, analysis from Hatch Innovation Providers means that restricted availability of biomass is the largest bottleneck within the business – indicating that manufacturing deserves extra {dollars} in each established and rising seaweed areas.
Seeding new traces of seaweed A farmer seeding new traces of Kapphaphycus striatus within the island of Guindacpan, Northern Bohol within the Philippines © Karlotta Rieve, Hatch Innovation Providers
This leads naturally to the questions: The place can provide for brand spanking new and rising seaweed-based merchandise come from and the place ought to buyers deploy capital subsequent?
Small holder farmers in lots of areas in South East Asia farm Eucheumatoids in shallow waters to allow them to stroll alongside their seaweed traces throughout low-tide Many farmers lack boats and farming supplies that may make it potential to farm in deeper waters – making it harder to develop their farms, Rote Island, NTT, Indonesia © Karlotta Rieve, Hatch Innovation Providers
A snapshot of the worldwide seaweed sector Up to now, over 12,000 species of seaweed are identified. These are categorised into three predominant varieties:
Crimson seaweed (Rhodophyta), make up 52 p.c of worldwide seaweed provide and the primary business pink seaweed species include carageenan and agar – each binding brokers used within the meals business.
Brown seaweed (Phaeophyceae), account for 47 p.c of worldwide manufacturing and are sometimes wealthy in alginates. The bigger species are sometimes called kelp.
Inexperienced seaweed (Chlorophyta) are much less generally farmed and largely present in shallow and intertidal areas. Nonetheless, solely 0.1 p.c of those species are commercially farmed right this moment. 95 p.c of worldwide macroalgae manufacturing comes from 5 species teams; Saccharina, Eucheumatoids, Gracilaria, Pyropia and Undaria, based mostly on 2020 figures offered by the Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations (FAO). This consolidation has taken place prior to now twenty years. Previous to that the contribution of different species was considerably greater.
Seaweed manufacturing quantity progress (in tonnes moist weight) © Hatch Innovation Providers
The provision from conventional seaweed areas is slowing down Industrial farming of seaweed started in Asia greater than 50 years in the past and has since grown quickly. Though seaweed farms are beginning to turn into fashionable in different components of the world, Asian producers nonetheless dominate the seaweed market – each by way of quantity and worth – with over 95 p.c of the market share in 2020. The most important producers are China and Indonesia, which provide 56 p.c and 27 p.c of farmed seaweed respectively, adopted by South Korea. International locations exterior of Asia produced lower than 2 p.c of the entire farmed seaweed volumes in 2020. Tanzania (particularly Zanzibar) and Chile are the following two most efficient areas exterior of Asia, accounting for 0.3 p.c and 0.1 p.c respectively of the world’s seaweed aquaculture manufacturing.
International manufacturing volumes 1990-2020 by nation (in tonnes moist weight) © Hatch Innovation Providers
Complete collapse of Saccharina manufacturing in 2022 from China
Farmed kelp in Jindo province, South Korea Blades of Saccharina japonica can develop as much as 8 metres over the winter months and turn into so heavy that farmers have to make use of cranes to carry the traces © Karlotta Rieve, Hatch Innovation Providers
Though China’s manufacturing figures have been growing till 2020, current studies present that the nation’s major seaweed crop, Saccharina, has had poor harvests, which have decreased general manufacturing considerably.
In Japan, manufacturing volumes for Saccharina have been lowering since 1991 and Undaria have been lowering as early as 1973. South Korea’s seaweed manufacturing throughout the primary species, Saccharina, Undaria and Pyropia, has been stagnating since 2017. There are three predominant challenges for business cultivation of temperate seaweed species: Local weather change is creating shorter seasons and hotter waters that trigger a lower in yields. Lots of the main farming areas have reached most carrying capability within the nearshore areas the place the cultivation takes place. Labour prices are growing and the seaweed farming workforce is growing old.
Harvesting Undaria within the Wando area of South Korea Harvesting Undaria pinnatifida that might be fed contemporary to abalone with cage tradition within the background © Karlotta Rieve, Hatch Innovation Providers
Tropical pink seaweed volumes are a lot decrease than official statistics By way of tropical seaweed manufacturing in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is the biggest producer of Eucheumatoids in addition to Gracilaria. Manufacturing volumes of Eucheumatoids within the Philippines and Malaysia have been lowering since 2011 and 2012 respectively, in accordance with the FAO dataset. This dataset relies on the studies of presidency businesses by producing international locations, however our current in-field work on this area revealed that the true manufacturing volumes are a lot decrease. In accordance with governmentstatistics, manufacturing in Indonesia elevated practically ten-fold between 2000 and 2015 however has been barely lowering/stagnating since, with a manufacturing of seven million tonnes moist weight in 2021. Nonetheless, in accordance with a number of business sources the real looking manufacturing volumes for Eucheumatoids in Indonesia might solely be one sixth of the official determine. Equally, the official Eucheumatoid volumes for the Philippines and Malaysia, in addition to Gracilaria in Indonesia, don’t match with the precise manufacturing on the bottom.
Though it appears that evidently Indonesian seaweed aquaculture nonetheless has sturdy potential to develop, the sector’s growth might be extremely depending on future demand. In the meantime, it’s unlikely that manufacturing within the Philippines or Malaysia will improve considerably within the close to future.
Manufacturing volumes reported by business vs authorities sources for 2021 (moist weight tonnes) © Hatch Innovation Providers
There are three predominant challenges for the business cultivation of tropical seaweed species: The shortage of high quality seed provide – reduces yields and makes the crop extra weak to ailments and epiphytes. Local weather change – is creating extra excessive climate circumstances and occasions extra incessantly that trigger gradual progress, trigger ailments, improve epiphytes or may even destroy total farm websites. Restricted entry to capital – is limiting alternatives for farmers to develop, rebuild farm websites, or supply seed after extreme climate occasions. Present markets are absorbing most provide
There are presently three broad markets for farmed seaweed Disclaimer: That is simply on the idea of the sector insights – subsequently solely knowledge from the six international locations studied – which account for 98 p.c of worldwide farmed seaweed in accordance with FAO 2020 knowledge © Hatch Innovation Providers
Most farmed temperate seaweed species are destined for direct human consumption – in merchandise together with soups, snacks, flavoured sheets and contemporary salads. They’re primarily farmed and consumed in East Asia, and the demand – particularly in China – has elevated with the rise of e-commerce. In the meantime, a lot of the Undaria and Saccharina produced in South Korea and China is bought as reside feed for the abalone aquaculture sector. Seaweeds additionally present hydrocolloids – corresponding to agar, carrageenan and alginate – that are primarily used within the meals business for gelling, thickening, stabilising and emulsifying brokers and are broadly traded as commodities. Carrageenan and agar are the first causes Eucheumatoids and Gracilaria farming within the Coral Triangle area was established. Immediately, these farmed seaweeds nearly completely depend on hydrocolloid markets. The present provide chains are set as much as nearly completely cater the manufacturing of carrageenan or agar and commerce networks are sometimes advanced and strongly dominated by Chinese language conglomerates. Western firms trying to supply pink seaweed from the Coral Triangle area subsequently have a tough time accessing provides of uncooked supplies. Hydrocolloid provide chains are sometimes intently knit and troublesome to entry with out having a bodily presence within the nation and established networks within the native seaweed sector. 2022 was an fascinating yr for these markets, as the costs for uncooked dried seaweed diverse dramatically. For instance, in Indonesia the common farm gate value of cottonii, probably the most sought-after Eucheumatoid seaweed, fluctuated between $1,250 and $2,700 per dry tonne.
Common farmgate value per kg for cottonii 2021 Oct – 2022 Oct (in USD) © Supply: PT. Jaringan Sumber Daya, Hatch Innovation Providers
The worth will increase are as a consequence of provide chain disruptions attributable to Covid-19 and the ensuing hypothesis by huge merchants who have been storing large portions of processed hydrocolloids for a very long time, in addition to the manufacturing downturn attributable to international warming and illness. The sturdy value improve is a fancy phenomenon, with little knowledge obtainable, however – beneath regular market circumstances – it might suggest that the provision isn’t assembly demand. Regardless of this, the hydrocolloid business continues to be growing its processing capacities, with many investments being made straight in new processing services in Indonesia for alkaline handled chips and semi-refined carrageenan, which is additional used to supply refined carrageenan overseas. The mismatch between processing capacities and uncooked materials (seaweed) volumes is growing the strain on provide and resulting in elevated value volatility. Which, in flip, makes it troublesome for newcomers within the seaweed processing area to buy uncooked materials for novel product purposes.
When will seaweed manufacturing in new geographies scale? Curiosity in seaweed manufacturing in different areas is rising, however these areas should not but producing vital volumes. The FAO knowledge on manufacturing volumes in the remainder of the world present stagnant or slowly growing manufacturing solely. Nonetheless, the private and non-private sectors in Europe, USA, Australia and New Zealand have made sturdy commitments to develop their seaweed industries and a few pioneering farms present early traction. Equally, many international locations in Africa and Latin America have potential to leverage their lengthy coastlines and Unique Financial Zones. Curiosity in creating an industrial seaweed farming sector exterior Asia is kind of younger. Whereas extra technologically superior manufacturing programs have been developed in Northern Europe and North America, the expansion charges of entrance runners like Alaska, Maine, France and Norway are conservative in comparison with the Asian first movers again within the Nineteen Seventies. An excellent instance right here is kelp manufacturing in Japan, the birthplace of Saccharina farming 50 years in the past. Regardless of each international locations having a temperate local weather, concentrating on rising kelp species and having nearly the identical size of shoreline obtainable it appears unlikely that Norway will have the ability to emulate the stratospheric progress charge that Japan achieved.
Yr-on-year progress charges (%) of first seven years of Saccharina manufacturing in Japan and Norway © Hatch Innovation Providers
Certainly Saccharina manufacturing in Japan elevated nearly 8,000 p.c in solely six years and 25,000 p.c inside 20 years. On condition that Norway produced 248 tonnes in 2020 (just like Japan’s 282 tonnes in 1970), to match Japan’s progress charge it must be producing 19,840 tonnes by 2026 and 62,000 tonnes by 2040.
Whereas this is perhaps possible, it’s clear that the circumstances for scaling seaweed manufacturing in Asia within the Nineteen Seventies have been completely different from circumstances within the West right this moment. Rules, marine use battle, the price and availability of labour and seed materials and excessive preliminary funding are a number of the vital challenges going through Western producers. These elements have been much less prevalent in Asia in the course of the Nineteen Seventies.
The three method “hen and egg drawback” inhibiting leap of the Western seaweed sector As a lot of the world’s seaweed startups are based mostly in Europe and North America, nearly all of enterprise capital investments within the sector are presently being made in these areas. And nearly all of these investments are specializing in product growth – the market aspect of issues. Nonetheless, just a few hundred tonnes are presently being produced in Europe and North America, whereas different geographies are solely slowly coming on-line.
Seaweed investments by geography between 2020 and 2022 © Hatch Innovation Providers, Supply: Phyconomy, 2022
Variety of offers by class between 2020 and 2022 © Hatch Innovation Providers, Supply: Phyconomy, 2022
Nonetheless, many firms engaged on new product growth for bioplastic, materials, pet or animal feed merchandise for instance, would wish seaweed biomass inputs within the hundreds of tonnes scale for business roll out. From our current market research, the place we spoke to lots of them, we discovered that they’re struggling to supply these uncooked supplies regionally and – given the bodily and cultural distance to current seaweed producing geographies – they’re struggling to faucet into current Asian provide chains. In concept, the price of manufacturing for seaweed farming within the West – that are presently orders of magnitude greater than in Asia – ought to naturally come down as soon as scaling results kick in. Nonetheless on the present value stage and volumes of seaweed obtainable in these geographies, hardly any new markets can develop to create the required demand for scaling. Some counsel that by creating seaweed-based merchandise with greater market values, corresponding to nutraceuticals and prescribed drugs, the ensuing excessive manufacturing prices for seaweed will be compensated. But these purposes have very lengthy growth cycles and would solely want small portions, which might not increase demand for farmed seaweed in volumes any time quickly. Growing biorefineries appears probably the most promising route for a possible seaweed sector within the West, at this level. Such a method of processing would mix low quantity/excessive worth with excessive quantity/low worth merchandise and subsequently enhance the enterprise case for seaweed based mostly merchandise, the place manufacturing prices are presently to permit for aggressive outputs. The one factor is that such processing services would require giant scale investments, which at present scale of seaweed provide are definitely excessive threat and never engaging to personal sector buyers. The general public sector might play a task right here by incentivising manufacturing with low value, long run financing or incentivising laws whereas manufacturing is scaling up. Subsidies that may assist bridge the massive hole between the price of farmed seaweed and an inexpensive enter value that permits for the event of aggressive merchandise and purposes from seaweed biomass.
Farmer checking the density on the develop out traces in Gijang, South Korea High quality over amount is the important thing to Saccharina japonica manufacturing for human consumption in South Korea, Japan and China © Karlotta Rieve, Hatch Innovation Providers