H E Dr Fuad bin Jaafar bin Mohammed al Sajwani, the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries of Oman, has praised the Royal support of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said for his ministry’s development strategy for 2013-20. The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries’ (MoAF) strategy was recently approved by the Supreme Council.
Speaking on Oman TV’s Economic Vision show, H E Dr Sajwani said his ministry has been allocated an estimated RO500mn to implement the strategy. He said the Central Fish Market in Barka will open by the end of the first quarter this year and that an integrated plan to operate this market and expand other markets is in place.
Forty one markets are to be built across the country and nearly ten of them have been completed. Additional allocations have been made to cover agricultural subsidies, which will now be 250 per cent more than the previous subsidy amount.
He said that 75 per cent of the sultanate’s demand for fruits and vegetables is met locally and the nation can become 100 per cent self-reliant by using modern technology. MoAF has received the first installment from the Rural Woman Subsidy Fund of RO1mn, which was ordered by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said during the sustainable agricultural development symposium and has launched a series of projects run by rural women.
MoAF has floated the tender for consultancy services for the Rustaq date palm factory and may set up another factory in Dakhliyah. The minister said the 1mn palm trees project ordered by His Majesty the Sultan is progressing according to schedule. The ministry also has plans to develop the date palm tree laboratory in Jamah for producing 200,000 seedlings during 2013.
A national agricultural company has been established and will be in charge of marketing agricultural produce and helping the National Livestock Company in Dhofar in the production of milk and other dairy products. Fifteen more veterinary clinics will also come up across governorates by year-end.
He also added that 20,000 women have expressed readiness to work in the National Livestock Company’s projects which are expected to achieve self-sufficiency in ten years.
2012 Apex Press and Publishing