President vows to reduce reliance on food imports

President vows to reduce reliance on food imports


President Mohamed Nasheed spoke yesterday of the government’s plans to produce 20 per cent of the country’s foodstuffs by the end of his first term in office.

Agriculture will improve both the nation’s prosperity and the standard of living, said the president, speaking at the country’s first farmer’s ceremony held at Faafu atoll Nilandhoo.

“Our objective is to broaden economic activities in the country and produce what we need as much as possible in the Maldives,” he said.

Dr Ibrahim Didi, minister of fisheries and agriculture, told Minivan News that 1,300 people had recently been given the opportunity to participate in three-month farming courses.

Further, in April, the ministry revealed that Rf12,125,000 (US$9.5 million) worth of loans would be issued to farmers to develop agriculture in the country.

The minister added the government planned to reduce import taxes on fertilisers and farming equipment to encourage start-ups.

Stumbling blocks

Addressing Nilandhoo islanders yesterday, the president said that while fertile land was a challenge in the Maldives, new technologies, such as hydroponic farming could be successfully applied to the Maldives.

Hydroponic farming allows crops to grow in sand, gravel or liquid with the help of added nutrients and irrigation.

“There are many countries without enough land or water for agriculture,” he said. “In our view, one of the countries that has developed the most in this field is Israel. In that country, in the desert, with a shortage of water, they run a perfect agriculture industry.”

Speaking to Minivan News today, Mohamed Ali, state minister for agriculture, said farmers' attitudes to farming needed to be changed.

While there was currently small-scale farming in the country, he said, farmers worked independently rather than in partnership.

“Unless there are co-operatives between farmers to produce what and when, there’s no way you can have a guaranteed supply at a guaranteed time,” said Ali. “Some people should have nurseries, others should plant and others sell and then you can have a constant supply.”

Addressing the country’s poor transport system, the president said the establishment of a ferry network would help overcome this hurdle.

Last week, the government signed an agreement with Maldives Dhoni Services for a ferry network in the South Central Province - the first of its kind in the country.

Future possibilities

Both Nasheed and Ali agreed that if a ferry system could be established and co-operatives formed to coordinate farming, produce could be sold to tourist resorts.

Didi said the government would make certain that Maldivian produce was cheaper than imports to encourage resorts to buy locally.

The positive impact of farming would be manifold, said Ali. A 20 per cent reduction in government expenditure on food imports would not only lead to fewer dollars leaving the country but would also create job opportunities for locals, he said.

He added more fresh local produce would improve health and nutrition in the country.

Undernutrition in the Maldives is a serious problem and latest statistics reveal that 17 per cent of children under five suffer from stunted growth, 13 per cent from wasting and 25 per cent are underweight.

Safoora Mansoor, an interpreter at Nilandhoo healthcentre, said promoting farming was a “very good idea”. “Then we can buy our own fruits from here at a lower price,” she said. “And it would be even better if we could sell our produce to other islands.”

At last night’s ceremony, the president spoke confidently about delivering on his party’s pledges. “I want to assure citizens that we will not back down,” he said. “We will do all we can and pave the way for all citizens to benefit from an agriculture industry.”