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Maldives

GIEWS Country Brief: Maldives 15-February-2016

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The entire land area of the country is 300 square km of which some 4 000 hectares are considered arable. Virtually no cereals are produced, therefore, the population, estimated at 363 660 (FAOSTAT, 2015), is heavily dependent on imports to meet the cereal food consumption needs. Cereal imports in the 2015/16 marketing year (January/December) are forecast at 57 300 tonnes (including 26 000 tonnes of rice and about 31 300 tonnes of wheat), some 3 percent above the high level of the previous year, mainly as a result of strong domestic demand. The country has, however, a very productive fishery sector, which provides a good portion of locally‑produced food, as well as income, by supplying the tourism industry, with around 1.2 million visitors estimated to have visited the country in 2015. Overall, the food security situation is satisfactory.