Exploring the fertilizer potential of sargassum

Published on June 15, 2026

Antigua and Barbuda and Japan are exploring the possibilities of converting sargassum seaweed into fertiliser, animal feed and biofuel.

The ongoing sargassum invasion of coastal areas of the Caribbean has been a nuisance experiments have shown the commercial value of the tons of seaweed rotting away everyday.

Caribbean 360 reports that “in 2022 Japan funded a US$12.3 million UNDP sargassum project across five Caribbean nations. Antigua was not among them. This bilateral push looks like a deliberate effort to secure its own arrangement. That is smart diplomacy”.

It goes on to add that “no timeline or funding has been committed”. 

Source Caribbean 360