The Ministry of Agriculture has stated that work is underway to complete the construction of a national laboratory, established to ensure the safety of agricultural products, by next year.

In a PSM program, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ismail Mohamed said that efforts are being made to complete the work on the laboratory in Fuvahmulah City as soon as possible.

"The construction work for the laboratory building has been contracted and has begun. We have also acquired some of the required equipment and sent it to Fuvahmulah. The work has now started. We are working to complete the laboratory work entirely and begin services sometime next year," Ismail said.

Ismail mentioned that human development work is also needed alongside the laboratory. In this regard, he said that they are opening courses in related fields and providing scholarships.

Under the national laboratory project, the Ministry stated that the work of evaluating the quality of agricultural products and determining the standards of chemicals used can be carried out efficiently. This will make it easier to maintain the quality of food products grown in the Maldives.