The National Agriculture Laboratory was officially inaugurated on Thursday in Fuvahmulah, the third most populous city in the Maldives.
The opening ceremony was led by Minister of Agriculture and Animal Welfare Dr. Maryam Mariya, who highlighted the lab’s role in modernizing agricultural services and strengthening food security.
The facility will support the diagnosis of plant and animal diseases, introduce scientific treatment methods, and advance rootstock techniques. It will also offer services such as sand testing, biocontrol, tissue culture, and plant disease research, according to the Fuvahmulah City Council.
The lab is expected to enhance the use of biological methods in treating diseases affecting crops like grapevines and potatoes, eliminating the need to send samples abroad for analysis.
Dr. Mariya said the laboratory will serve not only farmers, but also researchers and policymakers working to improve agricultural resilience and sustainability.