Muscat: A pilot farm project consisting of date palm, mango and lemon farms is set to be implemented thanks to the efforts of The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources (MAFWR). The project executed in cooperation with farmers will be done in various governorates in Oman.
The main purpose of the project is to enhance food security and provide economic sustainability to farmers. Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources has been proactively engaged in making self-sufficient in agricultural produces and has successfully launched many schemes in this regard.
Fruits grown in Oman such as pomegranates, grapes, figs, mangoes and dates as well as farm produces such as olives, coconut, and various other vegetables have huge takers in the whole of GCC countries and beyond. More recently MAFWR, introduced a pilot project of drone-aided date palm farming, after conducting successful tests in its labs.
The pilot farm project for date palm, mango and lemon will be restricted to farms whose area is less than five acres, to ensure the ideal condition is maintained and controls are seamlessly applied for optimal yield. It is pertinent to note that MAFWR has contributed greatly in date palm production of Oman and its increasing yield.
Continuous research conducted in its laboratories to enhance seed quality, introducing new varieties and improving agricultural techniques have resulted in increased crop yield.
A reliable data source, researchgate, mentions that date palm, the primary agricultural crop in Oman, constitutes 80 per cent of all fruit crops produced and that the total farm area for date palm is equal to 50 per cent of the total agricultural area in the country.
Oman is the eighth largest producer of dates in the world with an average annual production of 260,000 metric tonne per annum.
