Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr. Mohamed Shainee reveals that business transactions of Maldivian agricultural products in Male' local market grossed over MVR 166.8 million in 2016.
In a statement released, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Dr. Mohamed Shainee highlighted that the Maldivian Agricultural sector is witnessing a high end progress both in equipment and productivity. The Minister highlighted that till date a total of 7,536 farmers from 78 atolls have been registered in the government's database. Minister Shainee revealed that the largest percentage of citizens working in the sector are women and accolade them for this effort. Dr. Shainee also revealed that the current administration is working on to find ways of farming which would have minimal effect on the fragile environment of Maldives.
The Fisheries and Agriculture Minister added that the administration also aims to train the farmers on the good practice of farming and currently has successfully recruited 1,682 farmers under this training programme. Minister Shainee revealed that under the aim of ensuring food stability, the government has continued establishing goat farms in at least one or two islands annually.
The Minister further added that the current government has initiated a loan scheme to attract young farmers to the sector and currently has provided 86 farmers with around MVR 5.8 million rufiyaa under this loan scheme.