The Minister of Tourism and Environment (MoTE), Thoriq Ibrahim, has confirmed that the development of the plant nursery under the five million trees initiative will begin on 30 December, Tuesday. This 55,000 sqft nursery will be developed in Hulhumale’.
The nursery will be used to propagate trees brought from overseas countries until they are of desired size and then transported to various islands. In additionn to this, the training and deployment of specialised nursery workers is also another aim ofor the development of the nursery, he stated.
Minister Thoriq provided details on the possibility of the expansion of this project by stating that discussions are being carried out to identify potential islands where similiar nurseries can be developed. The nursery is being constructed with funding from the Chinese government, under an agreement signed between the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and the MoTE in May of this year.
The ministry has also provided details on the conmposition of the nursery, which it says will include a laboratory, training rooms, offices and a greenhouse. The long term vision of the project is to continue the cultivation of plants within the nursery once the five million trees project has been completed under HDC supervision, it said.
Minister Thoriq also has stated that watering and maintanence of trees planted under this initiative will be monitored, and electric vehicles will be brought in for this purpose. Furthermore, several varieties of plants have been gifted to 55 different islands, and awareness programs have been implemented in schools.
This 5 Million Tree Planting Program initiated by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu seeks to restore native plant populations, increase greenery and contribute to environmental conservation efforts. This project was inaugurated on the World Environment Day in 2024, and 1,027,372 trees have been planted to date.