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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Agreements for port development, fish markets signed

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Lakshmi Kothaneth -
MUSCAT, Jan 24 -
Around 32 agreements were signed varying from port development such as Port of Taqah and a number of fish markets that are being built and operated by the private sector in places such as Al Mudhaibi, Jaalan Bani Bu Ali, Sur, Ashqara in addition to agricultural projects, were signed at the concluding session of the 2-day Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Investment Forum,
“Plots have been allocated to Omani farmers and SMEs who will develop with the assistance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, riyada — Public Authority for SMEs, Rafd Fund, Oman Development Bank. Agreements for about 26 projects in this area have been signed. These are integrated aquaculture and livestock projects,” said Dr Hamed al Oufi, Under-Secretary of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Meanwhile, the discussions on the second day looked at the Food Systems Innovation and Techniques.
Prof Adel El Beltagy, Chair of the International Drylands Development Commission (IDDC), spoke on applying smart agriculture, 4th generation in agriculture and farming conservation resources; Dr Abdullah Mohammed al Marouqi, CEO of Oman Industrial Innovation Center, presented a paper on power of innovation in developing industrial sectors in Oman, and Dr Saif Rashid al Shaqsi, Director-General of One Million Date Plam Tree Project presented the story of success.




During the panel discussion, Dr Hilal Ali al Hinai, Secretary-General of The Research Council (TRC) said it was time to apply social innovation in agriculture especially in Oman where farming is depended on falaj system.


“Unfortunately the agricultural land gets fragmented very quickly due to inheritance system, and we need to find innovative solutions to overcome the problem. And a solution could be the establishment of community based companies that will operate and manage the whole system especially in terms of water, land, utilisation and also linking it to the marketing system at the local, regional and international levels through a system of holding companies starting from international, regional, national, wilayat and up to village level. We need to try several pilot projects so that we can demonstrate the viability of these companies and their effectiveness in preserving agriculture centres,” said Dr Al Hinai.


The current situation has challenges, and Dr Al Hinai feels whatever solution can help easing farmers’ burden and degradation of their land will encourage them to take up these options especially if they see it is not just financial benefits but also the social aspects such as job opportunities for themselves, their children, providing fresh produce and ensuring food security at the village and national level in addition to financial aspects.



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