Minister of Tourism and Environment Thoriq Ibrahim has said development of the nursery in Hulhumalé for the Government’s Five Million Trees initiative will begin on Tuesday.

Minister Thoriq said the nursery will be developed with assistance from the Chinese government, with construction scheduled to commence on 30 December. He said the purpose of the facility is to cultivate imported tree species and distribute them to islands nationwide, while also developing specialised human resources to support the programme.

The Minister added that discussions are also underway to identify additional islands where nurseries can be established across different atolls. The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment signed an agreement in May for the development of the Hulhumalé nursery.

The facility will be a modern, 55,000 square foot nursery equipped with a laboratory, training rooms, office spaces, and a greenhouse. In addition, the nursery will be used to grow trees required for the Five Million Trees initiative and will continue operations under the supervision of HDC.

The Five Million Trees initiative is the largest tree planting programme ever undertaken in the Maldives. While the original target is five million trees, Government institutions and private entities have collectively pledged to plant 6.4 million trees. More than one million trees have already been planted nationwide under the initiative.