Source: Riyadh, Al Arabiya Business
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources in Oman is working to strengthen food security in cooperation with various partners. The number of investment projects implemented during the 10th Five-Year Plan, 2021 to 2025, reached 493 projects, with total investments of approximately OMR 1.9 billion, according to the feasibility studies of those investment projects.
Ahmed bin Nasser Al Bakri, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources for Agriculture, affirmed that these projects included 399 projects in the agricultural sector, both plant and animal, with investments of nearly OMR 806 million. In coordination with partners, they contributed to agricultural expansion through the addition of around 50,000 feddans. A number of these projects have entered the production phase and have begun to support the national economy and increase the sector’s contribution to gross domestic product.
He pointed out that during the current year, which is the first year of the 11th Five-Year Plan, the ministry aims to implement 400 investment projects with a total estimated value of around OMR 400 million across various food security sectors, including approximately 200 projects in the plant and animal agricultural sector with investments of nearly OMR 200 million, according to Oman News Agency.
He added that, to date, 219 investment opportunities have been floated through the Tatweer platform, representing around 55% of the total target. These opportunities are available to investors in the fields of plant, animal, fisheries and water-related food security.
The second batch of projects has also been signed, comprising 18 plant and animal projects with investments estimated at around OMR 2 million, in addition to one project in the water processing sector, while work is underway to complete the offering of all 400 investment opportunities through the platform before the end of the first half of 2026.
With regard to self-sufficiency indicators, he explained that data up to the end of 2025 indicate advanced rates, with self-sufficiency in fish reaching 146%, alongside the export of fish products to around 60 countries. Self-sufficiency in dates reached 99%, with exports to 20 countries, while the self-sufficiency rate for vegetable crops stood at 77%.