Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture has revealed that Sri Lanka plans to gift 50,000 coconut palm trees to the Maldives every year.
The statement was made by Minister Dr. Hussain Rasheed Hassan at the inauguration ceremony of the tree planting programme in Goidhoo, Shaviyani Atoll. The government is planting coconut palm trees in islands with large land areas to grow a new generation and solve the difficulty in obtaining coconuts.
At the inauguration ceremony, Minister Hassan noted that the Maldives needs to import coconuts to meet increasing demand due to tourism. He said that the government has distributed almost all of the 5,000 coconut palm trees to be planted in the atolls. He also said that 107 trees will be planted in Goidhoo and that the government is unable to provide more due to the limited available area.
Additionally, Minister Hassan said the tree planting programme will include uninhabited islands next year and that the government of Sri Lanka has agreed to provide 50,000 trees annually. He emphasised that Sri Lanka will gift the best trees available and that it will solve the shortage of coconuts in the Maldives. He added that the trees will mature in two-and-a-half years and produce around 40 coconuts per year.