As part of its goal of attaining self-sufficiency and diversification of agricultural crops, Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR) has urged the nation’s farmers to grow grapes, mangoes, bananas and sweet lemons.
The ministry announced the implementation of a project to establish commercial fields to grow the above mentioned fruits and develop a market for them in the sultanate. A ministry official said: "The ministry has set some conditions for Omani farmers to benefit from the project financed by the Agricultural and Fisheries Development Fund. The farmer must be Omani and the area of land that will be cultivated shall not be less than one acre. The farmer must provide a permanent source of irrigation, and the soil of the farm should be suitable for cultivation. He must also use the agricultural seedlings provided by the ministry."
The official added that farmers must adhere to the correct agricultural instructions for growing the target crops. They must also allow the ministry's specialists to visit the site to ensure that it meets the stipulated conditions.
The ministry will give farmers mango and lemon seedlings for free. Banana seedlings will cost 250bz each while sweet lemon seedlings will be available for 500bz each. The ministry has produced 1,699,892 seedlings of different fruits in the period from 2011 to 2018. It is seeking to produce more seedlings to reduce the gap between local demand and supply, added the official. The deadline to submit an application to participate in the project is May 31.
[ 1 bz = €2.14 ]
Source: salaamgateway.com