While Thunburi has now been leased out as an agricultural island, this island was initially meant to be leased out for the development of integrated tourism by Yameen administration.
Source: PSM News
As two of the biggest sectors in the Maldives, tourism and fisheries are given significant importance in development planning. However, as tourism remains the main contributor for the development of the economy, and the one thing that the Maldives is known for, it has been recently given too much of attention, as it remains the major source of foreign currency inflow job creator in the Maldives.
But many do not realise what a major role agriculture plays in the Maldivian economy as well. As a country that heavily depends on imports, the agriculture industry is the only sector ensuring that Maldivians are sourced with locally produced fresh fruits and vegetables that come at a more affordable price than imported goods.
Whether you go to the local market or small grocery stores, the vegetables and fruits that are fresh and affordable are brought to the capital City from small agricultural islands. Without the agriculture industry, Maldivians would have to depend on pricy imported goods as the only source of fresh produce - creating major risks on food security of the country.
And while local islands play a major role in the production of fruits and vegetables in the country, the development of agricultural islands in order to develop the sector to a significant level, has become extremely important as well. With the recently experienced inflationary pressures and changes in the world economy, the importance of food production in the domestic economy has become more evident than ever.
For these reasons alone, the leasing of Thunburi island in Laamu Atoll for agricultural developments rather than tourism might be a major step towards economic diversification in the Maldives. While a handful of islands are leased for the development of resorts for the tourism industry, Thunburi was one of the five islands that were leased out for the development of agriculture in 2021.
According to the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Agriculture, the bidding process was won by Hawks Group on November 21, 2022, after a competitive bidding process to develop the island for agricultural use. The 18-hectare island was leased to the Hawks Group for a period of 21 years.
While Thunburi has now been leased out as an agricultural island, this island was initially meant to be leased out for the development of integrated tourism by the Yameen administration. This decision was changed and the island was leased for agriculture following the decision by the Integrated Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) to develop Baresdhoo Island in the same Atoll instead of Thunburi.
