Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture has said the foundation stone of a national-level laboratory for agriculture has been laid in Fuvahmulah City.
The foundation stone of the laboratory was laid by the fisheries minister Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan, Ambassador of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to the Maldives Enrico Gaveglia, and President of Fuvahmulah City Council Ismail Rafeeg. The ministry also held a ceremony to sign the land agreement with the Fuvahmulah City Council.
The ministry said it is the first laboratory of its kind to be developed in the Maldives. The national agricultural laboratory is to be established under the Project for Developing Sustainable Agricultural Economy (PDSAE) project implemented by the government of the Maldives and UNDP with the assistance of the government of Japan. The ministry also said that the facility will be developed with a special laboratory for four purposes which include five analyses, diagnosis of plant diseases, and culture of plant tissue.
The ministry said the project will be completed within 390 days. The funds required for the project have already been allocated and the government of India will provide the necessary equipment along with the Sustainable Economic Empowerment and Development for SMEs (SEEDS) project under the government of Japan providing assistance to the project. The government is working hard to develop and expand the agriculture sector under the project.