MDP announces party

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has announced their new policy on agriculture.

The policy was officially announced at a ceremony held in Haa Dhaalu Kulhudhuffushi today by the party’s presidential candidate and former president Mohamed Nasheed.

Speaking at the ceremony, Nasheed said that the Maldivian people have traditionally been farmers and that the purpose of the new MDP agriculture policy would be to facilitate farming as a sustainable business.

Nasheed said that the most important aspect of agriculture is for the farmer to be able receive the money as soon as he sells his produce and that a MDP government will establish a company that will buy the produce from the farmers.

He said that a MDP government would aim to sell shares from the company to the public and other private parties, making it public limited enterprise once it starts to make a proper profit.

“A MDP government would aim to establish farms in islands that have large land areas and to provide such lands on a long term basis. For the government to then start buying the farmed products. People with training are much needed for the agriculture work. MDP’s aim is to produce talented people in this sector. MDP does not think that farming alone is sufficient. A market is needed to farm and to develop agriculture,” Nasheed said.

The former president said that the government would facilitate a vessel named “Agri Boat” which will act as a collector vessel and transport and sell the produce to different parts of the country.

Former president Nasheed said that MDP's new agriculture policy will reduce farmed imports by 44 percent and that a MDP government will revise the import duty policy on farmed imports so that local produce are traded at reasonable prices.