Agro National Corporation (AgroNat) has revealed that it has signed contracts with 738 farmers. The state-owned company stated that farmers who have joined the contract farming programme are increasing and that almost half of the farmers are women.
In his Presidential Address at the Parliament of the Maldives, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih stated that AgroNat will be purchasing products from 750 farmers before the end of 2023. He said it is important to market the products of local farmers. He said that transforming the efforts of farmers into income-generating activities is one of the biggest challenges faced by the agricultural sector so far. As such, he said that AgroNat is the solution for the government to address these challenges faced by farmers.
AgroNat is currently building distribution centres in nine regions of the country. In addition, the company is offering start-up packages to farmers to purchase agricultural equipment. AgroNat is also building boats to transport fresh produce from one place to another.
AgroNat was established by the government to market agricultural produce from local farms and provide a better income for farmers. The corporation has established contracts with farmers for various different types of fruits and vegetables. AgroNat also provides technical and financial assistance to local farmers to produce these items and helps them to market their produce.