The government has decided to relocate a fish factory planned to be developed in Dhaalu Maadheli as a campaign pledge of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to Faafu Nilandhoo.

Fisheries Minister Ahmed Shiyam told Adhadhu that the government decided to change the site for the project because Maadheli was under lease for resort development. Based on the progress on the lease agreement, taking back the island with compensation would not be financially sensible for the state, he added.

The President pledged to develop a fish factory in Maadheli while speaking in Faafu Nilandhoo on August 17, 2023, during the presidential election campaign.

On April 14 this year, a week before the parliamentary elections, the Fisheries Ministry signed an MoU with China’s Dongfang Electric International Corporation to build fish factories on three islands including Maadheli. The agreement also included fish factories in Gaafu Dhaalu Fiyoari and Lhaviyani Felivaru.

The Maadheli project involved the construction of a harbour, accommodation for staff, roads, a 1,500-ton cold storage, brine and blast freezing facilities and a 50-ton processing facility.

The project was changed to Nilandhoo, the capital of Faafu atoll, because the government has decided to develop the island as an urban center, the Fisheries Minister said. A Fisheries Ministry team visited the island yesterday and held discussions with the council on allocating a plot of land for building the fish factory.

President Muizzu’s sister Fathmath Saudha was elected to represent the Nilandhoo constituency in the upcoming 20th People’s Majlis.

Maadheli had been leased for resort development to SAS Capital Pvt Ltd when President Muizzu first pledged to develop a fish factory on the island. The island was handed over to the company, which operates the St Regis Vommuli resort, on July 5, 2023. St Regis is a subsidiary of Marriott Hotels. SAS had also paid USD 7.2 million (MVR 111,240,000) as the acquisition cost for Maadheli.

The size of Nilandhoo is 56.2 hectares. The population of the island is 2,302, including 1,135 women and 1,135 men, according to the latest census. From the island’s native population, about 1,800 people currently reside in Nilandhoo.