MFDA Probing Rising Cancer Cases in B. Goidhoo, Minister Says

Agriculture Minister Maryam Mariya said today that the Maldives Food and Drug Authority (MFDA) is conducting research to determine the causes behind an apparent rise in cancer cases in Baa Atoll Goidhoo. 

Speaking at a press conference, the minister confirmed that tests and studies are under way to examine why cancer has become increasingly prevalent on the island, which hosts a population of about 500. 

Addressing concerns about the use of agricultural chemicals, the minister noted that while legislation governing pesticides exists, a formal national policy had not previously been established. She revealed that the current administration began drafting a pesticide-use policy last year.

The issue gained public attention after a Goidhoo resident, Shahula Wajeeh, wrote to Health Minister Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim and minister Mariya last September, urging authorities to investigate potential links between pesticide use and rising cancer cases. In the letter Shahula said nine cancer diagnoses and three related deaths had been recorded on the island over the past five years.

She also raised concerns about farming practices, alleging that most cultivated land is managed by foreign workers and that produce is sometimes harvested and sold without observing safe waiting periods after pesticide application.

Nationally, cancer cases have also been rising. According to statistics shared last month by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), more than 1,900 people were registered in the National Cancer Registry between 2017 and 2025. In a statement issued to mark World Cancer Day, the HPA said 57 per cent of registered patients were women, while 43 per cent were men.