In a rare show of bonhomie, after India allowed export of limited quantities of essential items to the Maldives for the 2024-25 financial year, Male thanked India, saying the gesture signified the longstanding friendship between the two countries. Foreign minister S Jaishankar responded by saying India stands firmly committed to its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy.
“I sincerely thank EAM @DrSJaishankar and the govt of India for the renewal of the quota to enable Maldives to import essential commodities from India during the years 2024 & 2025. This is truly a gesture which signifies the longstanding friendship, and the strong commitment to further expand bilateral trade and commerce between our two countries (sic),” said Maldives foreign minister Moosa Zameer in a post on X. “You are welcome, FM @MoosaZameer. India stands firmly committed to its Neighbourhood First and SAGAR policies,” responded his counterpart.
India last week allowed limited export of eggs, potatoes, onions, rice, wheat flour, sugar, pulses, stone aggregate and river sand to Maldives for the current financial year under the bilateral trade agreement, SAGAR, between the two countries. SAGAR or ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region’ is India’s vision for maritime cooperation with other countries in the Indian Ocean Region.
As per a commerce ministry notification, India will export around 427 million eggs, 25,513 tonnes potatoes, 35,749 tonnes onion, 124,000 tonnes rice, nearly 110,000 tonnes wheat flour and 64,494 tonnes of sugar. India will also export 224.5 tonnes of pulses and 10,00,000 tonnes of stone aggregate and river sand each to Maldives during the current financial year.
