MUSCAT: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning, in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, and the Authority for Small and Medium Enterprises Development (ASMED), signed 32 usufruct contracts with a number of entrepreneurs on Thursday in the agricultural, industrial and livestock production sectors.
The contracts represent an investment value exceeding RO 8.2 million and cover an area of 7 million square metres, signed on the sidelines of Oman Home & Building Expo at Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre.
These contracts were distributed as 21 usufruct contracts for entrepreneurs from small and medium enterprises in the industrial sector. These cover a total area exceeding 11,000 square metres with an investment value of RO 1.2 million. They encompass various fields such as vehicle repair, aluminium and carpentry workshops, building materials warehouses, soil testing laboratories, boat and marine unit maintenance, blacksmithing workshops, and modern laundries, distributed across Al Batinah North, Al Batinah South, Al Wusta, Al Dhahirah and Al Dakhiliyah governorates.
The pacts also included the signing of 11 agricultural contracts in Al Batinah North, Al Batinah South, Al Sharqiyah North, Al Dhahirah and Al Dakhiliyah governorates. These cover a total area exceeding 1,400 acres with an investment value of RO 5.7 million. The projects involve organic farming, meat production, feed manufacturing, fruit and natural oil cultivation, ostrich farming, papaya production, red sugar manufacturing, in addition to specialised projects for producing nutritional supplements and natural herbs.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning emphasised that these contracts enable entrepreneurs and owners of small and medium enterprises by providing them with viable investment opportunities that enhance the diversification of the economic base and contribute to achieving self-sufficiency in food security. They also generate new job opportunities and stimulate the local investment environment in vital sectors directly linked to food security.
The signing ceremony was attended by Eng Hamad bin Ali al Nazwani, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning for Housing, Dr Ahmed bin Nasser al Bakri, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources for Agriculture, along with a number of investors and entrepreneurs. - ONA
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