Agro boats set to revolutionize Maldives’ agriculture sector

Agro National Corporation (AgroNat) has unveiled the designs for its Agro boats – which will be used to transport agricultural produce from one island to the other with speed and ease.

AgroNat is involved in facilitating the work of local farmers and marketing their produce.

Agricultural produce grown in islands are usually transported to Male’ for distribution on cargo boats. By the end of the long journey, most of the produce lose their freshness and go bad.

The lack of mechanism for safe transport of agricultural produce is of deep concern to farmers.

The boats being built by AgroNat offer a solution to the issue. AgroNat has unveiled the designs of the boats; two 65-foot fiberglass boats.

The boats, with a modern, sleek look, have cargo compartments to preserve the freshness of agricultural produce. According to AgroNat, the cargo compartments are 18x6 foot with air conditioning and temperature control. There are separate cabins for the boats’ crew.

The boats have solar panels installed on the deck, meaning agricultural produce will be kept cool using solar power – minimizing consumption of electricity.

The project is funded by the Japanese government, and is being provided technical expertise by the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP).