Dubbed the ‘Rima Project’, the initiative centres on the cultivation of 150,000 jojoba trees across a 1.2 million m² desert landscape at Rima in the Wilayat of Haima, within the Block 6 concession of Petroleum Development Oman
"Oman’s food-security programmes and water technology can link with East Africa’s arable land and examples are Kenya’s tea and coffee farms and Tanzania’s horticulture," the Chairman of East African Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture says
Oman Food Investment Holding Company and Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development signed a memorandum of understanding for enhancing the existing cooperation between them in several food security projects
The head of Iran's industry and agriculture committee in Khoramshahr city said Omani businessmen would be provided with lands and waters and 1 million palm saplings will be cultivated in Khoramshahr and their output exported to Oman.
“We have received proposals for huge pieces of land in two countries. We would like to see these formalised and signed, after which we can announce the investment opportunities," says Minister of Agriculture.
A'Saffa Foods was established in 2001 and is the largest integrated poultry project in the Sultanate of Oman, covering over a 40 sq km farm area in Thumrit, Southern Oman.
The Tanzanian food industry that Omani business companies can tap into is not only confined to what is grown on the field but the fishing industry as well, says speaker of the National Assembly of Tanzania, Anne Makinda.
Ministerial decision 15/2013 states that agricultural land in the governorate should be made available for rent only to those citizens and Omani companies investing solely in agriculture
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The option for Oman to boost its food security by investing in overseas farmland is still open, with interest shown by 'a number of countries,' according to H E Dr Fouad bin Ja'afar al Sajwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.
"Indian law does not allow foreign companies to buy land and therefore Omani companies can enter into a contract farming relationship," says senior Indian government official.
The Omani government is weighing options for securing part of the country's requirement of strategic staples through offshore farming
Gulf oil producers have abandoned long-standing nationalistic policies of achieving food self-sufficiency and switched to a more realistic approach of using their strong financial muscle to invest in farm projects in fertile countries.
