Pres pledges to introduce cargo ferry to sell farmers' produce
Some of the fruits grown in Maldives are sufficient for the country's needs, he said.
By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday pledged to launch a cargo ferry service to enable farmers to sell their produce easily and freshly, saying that there are extensive agricultural islands in the Haa Dhaalu atoll.
The president, who is currently visiting the Haa Dhaal atoll to campaign for the September 9 presidential election, told residents of Vaikaradhoo island that the government is committed to ensuring that farmers can sell their produce easily, fresh and at a reasonable price.
The president said that the RTL ferry system, which is being set up to connect the entire country by high speed ferry, is not able to carry fresh produce in the most desirable manner, so he is working on introducing cargo ferries through MTCC.
"Hopefully, we will start the work through MTCC and bring hope to the farmers. We will hopefully ensure that they get immediate value for their produce," he said.
According to the president, the purpose of the "great economic change" he is talking about in various places is to bring about major changes in tourism, fisheries and agriculture.
“We will continue to target agriculture, introduce micro-financing for small farmers and give priority to land acquisition for farmers,” he said, noting that low-interest loans would be made available to farmers.
To increase the profitability of agriculture, the president said that he will connect the farmers to the domestic market and resorts as well as foreign markets and enable them to export their produce abroad.
Some of the fruits grown in Maldives are sufficient for the country's needs, he said, adding that fruits such as pears, carrots, bananas and grapes can be sold to foreign markets if they are grown to good quality.
“We want to provide farmers with the means to do this and accessible markets to sell these products,” he said.
The president said the foundation of island development has been laid during this term. Positive changes in islands, he said, would come if projects continued without stopping.
