An agreement has been signed between Mianz College and the High Commission of Bangladesh in the Maldives to propagate trees gifted by Bangladesh to the Maldives.
The trees are being gifted as part of a contribution by the Governmentof Bangladesh to Maldives' five million tree programme.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the Bangladesh High Commission by Head of Chancery Syed Amjad Ali, while Mianz College Rector Dr Fathimath Shaheema signed on behalf of the college. Bangladesh High Commissioner to the Maldives Dr Md Nazmul Islam attended the signing ceremony.
Under the agreement, Mianz College will propagate the trees gifted by Bangladesh. The college said the seedlings will be brought to the college and propagated at its School of Agriculture nursery.
Mianz College currently operates a nursery in Addu City. Under the agreement, the seedlings will be propagated and grown to an appropriate size before being handed back to the Bangladesh High Commission. The High Commission will then take responsibility for handing over the trees to the Maldivian Government.
Speaking at the ceremony, High Commissioner Dr MD Nazmul Islam said the initiative is an important undertaking under the Bangladesh-Maldives Green Initiative. He said the first 20,000 trees of different varieties would be gifted under the initiative.
Mianz College CEO and Chairman Ahmed Mottaki said Bangladesh has extensive experience in agriculture and tree cultivation. He said the agreement would provide an opportunity to share this experience and facilitate further research in the field.
The college said trees currently brought to the Maldives from Bangladesh can suffer significant damage during transportation by air or sea, preventing them from being used effectively. Mianz College said the initiative under the agreement would help address this issue by allowing the trees to be propagated locally.