MUSCAT: Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources has signed four agricultural investment agreements worth over 12 million Omani riyals ($31m), a media report said.
Dr Saud Hamoud Al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, signed the agreements with investors at the ministry, reported Oman News Agency (ONA).
He noted that these agreements will enhance the food investment sector in the Sultanate, as it has already witnessed great growth over the past years.
He added that this growth is the result of the continuous co-operation between the public and private sectors to utilise investment opportunities in the agricultural and fisheries sectors.
The first agreement is to establish an integrated farm to produce vegetables and plants using modern agricultural technologies such as greenhouses. This project will be established in the Wilayat of A’Suwaiq, at a cost of 600,000 riyals on an area of 50 feddan. The estimated production is 1,500 tonnes of vegetables and medicinal plants annually. The project will also include establishing modern industries for producing medicines.
The second agreement is the thyme planting project, which will be built on an area of 10 feddan in the Wilayat of Al Kamil wa Al Wafi. The project is to establish an integrated farm to produce the local Omani thyme using modern agricultural systems and smart technologies at a cost of 344,000 riyals.
The third agreement is the rabbit breeding project at a cost of 100,000 riyals to establish a farm on an area of three feddan in the Wilayat of Sohar. The project is to breed and produce rabbits using horizontal cages to supply the local market with white meat from sources other than poultry with the high nutritional value of proteins and fibres. The annual production is expected to reach 14,400 rabbits by Sallan Industrial Investment Company.
The fourth agreement is a livestock and fodder cultivation project in the Wilayat of Mahdah. The project aims to raise and fatten Omani livestock and other breeds with an intensive breeding system for red meat production to increase animal production and improve local meat quality. The project is expected to produce 22,000 tonnes of meat. It also targets the production of fodder and by-products. This project, worth 11,387,000 riyals, will be on an area of 574 feddan.
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