President expands STO’s role to ensure affordable access to essential foods

In a major policy shift aimed at strengthening national food security, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has announced that the State Trading Organization (STO) will expand its role in importing and distributing essential food items beyond traditional staples.

Following Cabinet consultations, President Muizzu confirmed that STO will begin large-scale import and bulk distribution of rice, sugar, and flour, along with ten of the most commonly consumed fruits, ten varieties of vegetables, as well as beans, eggs and potatoes.

In a post shared on X, the President described the policy as a key pledge from his manifesto.

In consultation with the Cabinet, we have made a decision to implement a key policy from my manifesto aimed at establishing food security in the Maldives. As part of this initiative, STO will begin importing and selling in bulk in the Maldivian market… rice, sugar, and flour; the 10 most commonly imported fruits; the 10 most commonly imported vegetables; as well as beans, egg and potato

he wrote

Food security has been a longstanding challenge for the Maldives, a nation heavily reliant on imports due to limited agricultural capacity.

The government stated that expanding STO’s mandate is intended to stabilize prices, safeguard consumers against global market fluctuations, and ensure a steady supply of essential foods to households nationwide.