Cabinet decides to expand services of light industries

The cabinet has decided to take several steps to expand the services of light industries, to increase employment opportunities for the youth.

This decision came following discussion at the cabinet meeting held today, on a paper submitted by the Ministry of Economic Development.

In this regard, the cabinet decided to increase local investment, to facilitate large scale import of material required to locally manufacture specific goods in order to expand services, to facilitate mechanisms to pack and sell the goods in the Maldives, and to exempt import duty based on predefined rules for machinery and material brought in for the development of these industries.

The cabinet also passed to lease land from the industrial zone in Hulhumale’ to establish those factories.

Members noted that Maldives depends on imports for food and other essential commodities, and said that efforts must be made to establish a system to ensure that people have access to safe and inexpensive essential commodities.