Oman makes major strides in roll-out of food security projects: OIA

Oman Food Investment Holding Co (Nitaj), the government's food sector investment and development arm, has notched major successes in the delivery of its strategy to build a sustainable food economy and reduce the country’s dependence on imported foodstuff.

According to Oman Investment Authority (OIA), the integrated sovereign wealth fund under whose auspices Nitaj operates, several major projects were either completed last year or have been progressed for eventual launch.

Notable is the example of Al Bashayer Meat Company, the first and largest integrated red meat project in the region, which commenced operations in Dhofar Governorate.

“The project expanded to export its products to GCC countries and Africa. The company is expected to contribute to increasing the self-sufficiency of red meat in the Sultanate of Oman from 37 per cent to 46 per cent,” OIA stated in its newly released Annual Report 2021.

Set up in Thamrait, the integrated project features an array of farms for the rearing and fattening of livestock, such as cattle, goats and sheep. The total capacity of the project is in excess of one million head of livestock annually. The plant’s state-of-the-art abattoir features two sophisticated slaughtering lines – one dedicated to sheep and goats, and the other for cattle.

Also in 2021, Nitaj marked the successful launch of the Agricultural Production and Marketing Company (APMC). The agency works with farmers by building centres for collection, sorting, classification, and packaging of their agricultural products, according to type and quality, in order to meet market requirements, said OIA.

A recent addition to Nitaj’s portfolio has been Al Murooj Dairy Company, which commenced operations late last year in Dhofar Governorate with the establishment of three centres for the collection of camel and cow milk. The company began with a daily collection of around 6,000 litres of cow milk and followed suit with camel milk collections with a daily capacity of around 12,000 litres.

Supported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, the dairy project has opened up new income sources for Omani farmers and herders living in the jabals of Dhofar.

Nitaj’s flagship venture, Mazoon Dairy, continues to bring laurels to the country’s expanding food processing sector. Since its launch in 2019, the company’s product portfolio has grown to nearly 220 different dairy items. The company has also begun exporting its products to nearly 14 countries in the Middle East.

Another notable success is the One Million Date Palms Project, which was placed under the supervision of Nitaj last year. The company is engaged in the production of high-quality dates, as well as increasing exports of Omani dates to international markets.

Rounding off the list of achievements is A’Namaa Poultry Project, which is currently nearing completion at a site in Al Dhahirah Governorate. Total investment in the world-scale integrated poultry farm venture is around RO 100 million.