India has agreed to supply essential commodities to Maldives in response to the island nation’s appeal. The government is set to export various essential goods, including eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat, flour, sugar, dal, stone aggregate, and river sand to Maldives during the 2024-2025 period under the bilateral trade agreement between the two governments.
Typically, there are limitations or ban on the export of these commodities. The permitted quantities encompass potatoes (21,513.08 metric tonnes), onions (35,749.13 metric tonnes), rice (124,218.36 metric tonnes), wheat flour (109,162.96 metric tonnes), sugar (64,494.33 metric tonnes), dal (224.48 metric tonnes), stone aggregate (one million metric tonnes), and river sand (one million metric tonnes).
It has been stated that CAPEXIL (a body to promote the export of chemical and allied products) will oversee the exports of river sand and stone aggregate to ensure that suppliers/extractors have obtained necessary clearances and that sand mining does not occur in the coastal regulation zone, as it is prohibited by the coastal regulation zone notification.
India’s Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, reaffirmed the nation’s dedication to its Neighbourhood First and SAGAR policies in the face of recent diplomatic obstacles. The two countries are focused on enhancing economic collaboration, as bilateral trade is projected to exceed USD 500 million by 2022.
As per the announcement made on Friday, there has been a 5% increase in the quotas for eggs, potatoes, onions, sugar, rice, wheat flour, and dal (pulses). India also exported rice, sugar, and onions to the Maldives last year, despite a global ban on the export of these items from India.
