Food Security gets a boost

MUSCAT: Several agreements were signed on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 2026 Food Security Lab, including one to launch a “Food Security Observatory” that concerns the National Early Warning System for Food Security in the Sultanate of Oman. The agreements are part of the lab’s efforts to develop the institutional work system and support projects that develop the agricultural sector and increase economic returns.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MoAFWR) signed the observatory agreement with Atyab Group. It was signed by Dr Ahmed bin Nasser al Bakri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources for Agriculture, and by Haitham Mohammed al Fannah on behalf of the group.
The observatory aims to help the relevant entities deal with food security crises before they occur and to alert them to any danger threatening food supplies before its impact reaches markets and consumers. It collects local and global indicators on a single platform and provides integrated information on food produced locally in Oman and on imports from various countries and their prices. It also monitors strategic food commodities, displaying each commodity’s level of self-sufficiency, supplying countries and price movements, which enables specialists in the relevant entities to prepare advance plans to address challenges in food commodities.
The ministry also signed an agreement with the Oman Food Investment Company to implement the “Enhancing Value Addition to Agricultural Products” project. It was signed by Al Bakri, who is also Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Agricultural and Fisheries Development Fund, and Salim Abdullah al Maamari, Executive Director of the Oman Food Investment Company. The agreement is part of efforts to develop local products, raise their competitiveness and enhance their market opportunities, in addition to enhancing the value of Omani agricultural products.
Dr Al Mu’tasim Mohammed al Bahlani, Executive Director of the Agricultural and Fisheries Development Fund, signed an agreement with Eng Majid Fayel al Amri, Executive Director of Thawani Technologies, for the provision of corporate card services for the governance and management of financial transactions. This contributes to simplifying procedures, raising the efficiency of expenditure monitoring and organising disbursement operations. — ONA