India has donated 1,200 saplings to the Maldives in support of President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s Five Million Trees Planting Programme, fulfilling a commitment made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his state visit to the Maldives last year.
The saplings were provided by the Kerala Forest Department and received by Maldives Consul General in Thiruvananthapuram Shifana.
The Maldives Consulate in Thiruvananthapuram said the contribution follows a commitment made by Prime Minister Modi during his July 2025 state visit to the Maldives to support the country’s nationwide tree-planting initiative.
Environmental cooperation featured prominently during that visit. President Muizzu and Modi took part in a symbolic tree-planting ceremony at Sultan Park in Malé on July 25, 2025, where Modi planted a mango tree under the Maldives’ Five Million Trees Planting Programme. President Muizzu planted a sea putat tree under India’s “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” initiative.
The ceremony was presented by both governments as a demonstration of the two countries’ shared commitment to environmental protection and climate resilience.
Programme launched in 2024
President Muizzu first announced plans to plant five million trees across the Maldives while delivering the country’s national statement at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in December 2023.
The nationwide programme was formally launched on World Environment Day on June 5, 2024, with the goal of planting five million trees over five years.
The initiative is intended to increase green cover across the islands while supporting biodiversity, restoring threatened plant species and strengthening the country’s environmental resilience.
Government institutions, state-owned companies, private businesses and members of the public have participated in the programme since its launch. By the time of Modi’s visit in July 2025, pledges had already exceeded the original five-million-tree target, while hundreds of thousands of trees had been planted nationwide.
The programme carries particular significance for the Maldives as one of the world’s most geographically dispersed and low-lying island nations, where communities face environmental pressures including coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion and the effects of rising temperatures.
The latest contribution from India adds an international component to the nationwide effort and follows the environmental commitment made during Modi’s 2025 visit, which coincided with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Maldives and India.
