Agriculture, as an industry, plays a pivotal role in the economy of a country. However, Maldives for years have largely overlooked its potential, to force the island nation to heavily rely on essential agricultural imports, bleeding the country of its limited revenue.
However, Maldives’ agriculture industry has huge potential. The country has abundant agriculturally rich land in the islands, and with modern technology and innovative farming techniques, agriculture experts believe that the country can finally exploit its rich agricultural potential.
After decades of neglect, the Maldives has finally witnessed a policy shift towards realising its massive potential.
Incumbent President Dr Mohamed Muizzu, since assuming office in November 2023, has launched several initiatives towards reaching that goal, through training, and equipment for local farmers complimented by efforts to boost the marketing of their produce.
This Administration is introducing modern methods to increase agricultural productivity to ensure food security in a country with limited land resources.
In that regard, a pilot project has been launched in Hanimaadhoo Agriculture Centre, Haa Dhaalu Atoll, with three types of vertical hydroponics setup on trial basis.
The government has also aimed to plug the glaring gap of the lack of a laboratory in Maldives to diagnose various types of plant diseases, which remains a long standing concern of local farmers. The government has started work to establish a national agricultural laboratory to address these concerns and aims to provide the service to farmers this year.
To complement such infrastructure initiatives, the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture is conducting many programs to strengthen the agricultural sector in the Maldives, including hydroponics, food security and farmer training programmes.
In addition, the Ministry has launched a specially designed loan programme aimed at providing financial assistance to local farmers. This loan programme has been designed to encourage aspiring young farmers along with funding expansion of existing farmers. The Ministry is also working on compiling a national register of farmers.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has also launched a major agricultural project in the Uthuru Thilafalhu to reduce Maldives’ dependency on agricultural imports and ensure food security.
In a bid to ensure legal protection for the agricultural industry, the government has drafted a special Agriculture Act and submitted it to the Attorney General's Office (AGO) for review.
Apart from agriculture, the next most notable effort by this Administration is to task the agriculture ministry with a separate mandate on animal welfare.
During the past year, the government has established a petcare facility for thousands of stray cats in the capital Male’ region.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Welfare is strengthening the laws and also formulating new laws and regulations to regulate the welfare of animals and livestock in the country. A new law on animal welfare has also been drafted and is currently reviewed by the AGO.