The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources celebrated Tree Day, which falls on October 31. A ceremony was organised at A’Sharqiyah University in the Wilayat of Ibra.
Several trees were planted by the patron of the ceremony and the audience members at the university campus.
The celebration aimed to encourage the community to preserve and cultivate trees as it can aid in diversifying income sources, contributing towards sustainability while boosting food security.
The ministry organised the celebration at the headquarters of the A’SharqiyahUniversity under the auspices of Shaikh Ali bin Ahmed al Shamsi, the Governor of North Al Sharqiyah. Senior officials, farmers, researchers and agriculture enthusiasts were present on the occasion.
In his speech, Engineer Salem bin Saud al Kindi, Director General of Agricultural Wealth and Water Resources, said that ministry organised this ceremony in cooperation with the A’Sharqiyah University to encourage the community to preserve trees and increase agriculture output.
The official said, “Man relies on trees for food, medicine, wealth, construction material, and in many requirements of daily life. Trees produce oxygen and store carbon dioxide. Trees are the means to stabilise soil and prevent floods. In addition, they provide shelter for many animals and birds that live in the wild and help reduce pollution levels, reduce the temperature in summer etc.”
Everyone seeks the shade of a tree. Trees are affected by climate change and natural disasters in the world, as well as human intervention through cutting down forests, fires and urban development, which have contributed significantly to the degradation of the green areas on earth.
According to the official, it is necessary to stop and review regulations and legislation to protect trees and find comprehensive programmes to expand green areas to preserve ecological balance.
The ministry is implementing a comprehensive package of policies and strategies to achieve the optimal utilisation of agricultural and aquatic resources and linking them to production systems that help achieve economic development according to the Vision 2040. The ministry is also prioritising management and implementation of investment plans and projects in coordination with the private sector and other partners by updating production programmes — agricultural operations, manufacturing, marketing and preservation of agricultural lands, where the growth rate in the agricultural sector has reached about 6 per cent.
According to a statement, the ministry, through these programmes, aims to diversify income sources and contribute towards boosting food security where it expects total agricultural production for 2021 to reach 3.7 million tonnes and create job opportunities to ensure social stability.
Regarding water resources, the official said, the ministry also maintains the dams in accordance with the available facilities by implementing optimal water use, usage of irrigation systems, and the study of the utilisation of triple-treated sewage water, water utilisation, cultivation of crops and salt-tolerant trees to allow the expansion of agriculture.
On the priority list is date palm planting, and according to the national strategy of the date palm trees, its guidance and research programmes. The number of palm trees in the Sultanate has reached 9 million, which represent 24 per cent of the space planted and 77 per cent.
The investments in fruit trees have been to promote food security by planting 100 acres of fig trees in the South Al Sharqiyah. About 121,000 different fruit seedlings were prepared from the agricultural research station for agricultural field programmes. Development and research programmes were developed in the fields of prevention, vegetable production, soil and water programmes, and removal of harmful trees and immunisation and treatment programmes.
On the other hand, the Fellowship Fund is organising a community initiative titled “Together to Re-Green” targeting home gardens and some small farms affected by Cyclone Shaheen in the wilayats of Al Khabourah, Al Musannah and Saham, where various seedlings of fruit bearing and decorative trees will be planted and distributed.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources organised the celebration at the headquarters of the A’Sharqiyah University under the auspices of Shaikh Ali bin Ahmed al Shamsi, the Governor of North Al Sharqiyah
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
