The High Commission of Bangladesh in the Maldives and Mianz College have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to launch the Bangladesh-Maldives Green Initiative, covering environmental sustainability, agricultural research, climate resilience and green development.
Under the initiative, the High Commission has provided 21,360 seeds of nine plant species, together with 22,360 polybags, to the Mianz College School of Agriculture for research, germination, cultivation and monitoring under Maldivian environmental conditions, said a press release on Sunday.
The contribution consists of 5,000 Guava (Payara), 2,500 Akashmoni, 1,600 Krishnachura, 1,200 Neem, 5,000 Gagan Shirish, 700 Bokul, 5,000 Ipil-Ipil, 200 Arjun and 160 Bahera seeds.
The initiative is intended to complement the Maldives’ 5 Million Trees Programme.
Mianz College School of Agriculture will undertake the germination, cultivation, nurturing and monitoring of the donated seeds, assess their growth, survival and adaptability to Maldivian soil and climate, and maintain records. The research will identify species from Bangladesh that adapt satisfactorily to Maldivian conditions and may have potential for wider cultivation, conservation, landscaping and afforestation.
Subject to successful germination and cultivation, the plants will be handed over to the Bangladesh High Commission within three months for subsequent donation to the Government of Maldives.
High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the Maldives Md Nazmul Islam said the initiative goes beyond the provision of seeds and represents a practical and research-oriented dimension of Bangladesh-Maldives cooperation. He said both countries are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, making cooperation in environmental conservation, sustainable agriculture and climate resilience an area of shared interest.
