Zakariya Fikri -
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries has announced that citizens can now apply for fishing boats. As a first step, the ministry will distribute 30 boats among artisan fishermen and young Omani graduates from specialised colleges.
The ministry plans to introduce 270 fishing boats by 2023. The new fishing boats have the capacity to navigate long distance and reach deep water zones that are inaccessible by the traditional fishing boats.
The conditions for the ownership of the new fishing boats announced earlier by the ministry stipulate that the applicant should have a valid fishing licence of more than three years. The 3-year fishing licence does not apply for the graduates seeking to own fishing boats but they should be registered as job-seekers.
The ministry has signed an agreement with Al Raffd Fund to obtain funding for 20 developed fishing boats.
The provision of the fishing boats is one of the initiatives of the National Programme for Enhancing Economic Diversification (Tanfeedh). The initiative is aimed at introducing fleet of fishing boats equipped with advanced technologies and fishing tools.
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