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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Second shipment of Australian cows arrives for Mazoon Dairy

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Muscat, Feb 9 - A second shipment of Australian cows destined for the Mazoon Dairy project in Al Buraimi Governorate — the Sultanate’s largest dairy farm and milk processing venture — arrived at Sohar Port and Freezone over the weekend.


The latest shipment of 1,800 cows adds to an initial consignment of 1,600 animals delivered late last month, said Saleh Mohammed al Shanfari, CEO — Oman Food Investment Holding Company (OFIC), the food sector investment arm of the government, which is spearheading the development of Mazoon Dairy and a host of other strategic food-related projects.


The total size of the herd will gradually ramp up to 25,000 cows when the dairy farm operates at full capacity in the coming years, Al Shanfari added in a tweet.


In comments to the Observer, Dr Arjun Subramanian, CEO, Mazoon Dairy Company, said the cattle for the RO 100 million dairy farm project at Al Sinaina in Al Buraimi Governorate is being sourced from a genetic stock that is appropriate for the weather and environmental conditions of the area. “These cows are coming from a genetics that are heat resistant, so they are well-suited for the region,” he said.


Arrangements have also been made for their safe transfer by livestock trailer trucks from Sohar Port to the project site in Al Sinaina, he noted. “All of the safety precautions and comfort levels for their transport to the farm are in place, with each trailer carrying no more than 20 cows. At Sinaina, a ‘red carpet’ welcome awaits them in terms of infrastructure, feed, trained staff and other comfort levels.”


On the ground at Al Sinaina, multiple contractors are busy at work putting in place the key components of an integrated dairy farm and milk processing project spread across a 15 sq km area, said Dr Subramanian.


“Most of the components have already been awarded, and are now in the execution and commissioning stage. Local Omani contractor Al Adrak is doing the civil works, while the machinery contracts have gone to several vendors who are world leaders in the dairy processing business. All of these components will be substantially in place before Ramadhan,” he added.


Mazoon Dairy is slated to come into production in the second quarter of this year. Besides milk, the project will also produce an array of dairy and juice products, including yoghurt, laban, fresh cream, cheese and ice cream.


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