The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, on Tuesday, assigned the Office of the Development of the Najd Agricultural Area as an administrative division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.
The idea is to organise and manage Al Najd region in the Dhofar Governorate using best practices to raise the economic return to bridge the gap of food security that coincides with the vision 2040 of the Sultanate of Oman.
The office will develop programmes to improve agricultural wealth, water resources and related activities; through strategic planning, employing appropriate policies, implementing the best integrated technical packages for new investment projects, opening up to global experiences and gradually updating the projects.
Dr Khaled bin Salem al Mashikhi, the Assistant Director-General for Assessment of Water Resources for Dam Affairs, highlighted the work of the Development Office of the Agricultural Zone.
The office has prepared a comprehensive investment map for the Najd region to determine the promising areas for food self-sufficiency, and to create a comprehensive database that includes agricultural, aquatic data and other related activities, and to engage agricultural associations in programs and policies to diversify crop composition and maximize return.
Among the tasks of the office are the supervision of the laboratories in the Al-Najd area to ensure the quality of agricultural products, maintain the safety and quality of food locally and globally, and oversee all business related to investment, production and marketing in direct coordination with various sectors.
Also in focus is distribution dedicated to strategic agricultural investment for the Omani private sector and foreign investment that would contribute to the improvement of the agricultural production system and activate the partnership between the public and private sectors to create economical investment projects that strengthen the system of food security.
The office is working to encourage research and innovative projects to highlight the best successful agricultural experiences to facilitate the transfer of those experiences for farmers to improve the quality and production level and empower small and medium-sized enterprises and agricultural societies to exploit the investment opportunities available. And the creation of a comprehensive database that includes farming, aquatic data and other related activities.
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