Staple food shipment from Turkey delayed due to Red Sea conflict
President Muizzu said that the first shipment of flour from Turkey had been ordered and the first shipment would arrive this month.
By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
The first batch of staple food shipments from Turkey have been delayed due to the ongoing conflict in the Red Sea.
President Mohammed Muizzu said on 13th last month that an agreement has been signed with Turkey to import food staples such as rice, four and sugar to Maldives instead of relying on one country for essential food items.
On that day, the President said that the first shipment of flour from Turkey had been ordered and the first shipment would arrive this month.
Cargo ships have moved away from the Red Sea following Houthi attacks on cargo ships carrying trillions of dollars worth of cargo.
Many ships passing through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal have now chosen to sail away from Yemen and dock at the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.
Meanwhile, the first shipment of food from Turkey has been delayed in arriving in Maldives, an STO official said on Tuesday.
The STO official said the exact date of arrival of the consignment was not yet clear as the schedule of the ship was affected due to the long journey of the cargo boats.
He assured that despite delays in receiving the ration shipments from Turkey, there would be no delay in getting the required shipment to the Maldives.
"We cannot guarantee that the Turkish food shipment will be delivered for Ramadan," the official said.
President Muizzu said that the agreement that has been signed with Turkey to supply 10% more than the requirement of rice, sugar and flour for the Maldives for a year.
