MUSCAT : The forum, organised by the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI) branch in Dhofar Governorate, in cooperation with the Office of the Governor of Dhofar and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, will be held in the Wilayat of Salalah.

The event will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sayyid Marwan bin Turki Al Said, Governor of Dhofar.

The forum is designed as a national platform to highlight promising investment opportunities across Oman’s agricultural and food sectors while facilitating discussions on best practices, emerging technologies and ways to improve the competitiveness of the food security industry.

It will bring together representatives from government and private sector institutions, alongside investors, entrepreneurs and specialists, with a focus on increasing the sector’s contribution to the national economy.

An accompanying exhibition will be held at Atin Plain from August 11 to 15, featuring around 100 exhibitors representing agriculture, livestock and fisheries, food industries, modern agricultural technologies, logistics, finance and investment.

The forum will feature a series of specialised working papers covering developments across the sector.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources will present key indicators and achievements in Oman’s food security sector, while the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning will discuss usufruct regulations and showcase the Tatweer platform and its role in supporting investment.

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion will present its “Invest in Oman” paper, highlighting investment opportunities available within the sector.

Other sessions will include a presentation by the Omani Agricultural Association in Dhofar titled “Najd between the Present and the Past”, while the Development Bank will outline financing solutions aimed at supporting the growth of the agricultural sector.

Dar Al-Handasah will present the Najd Agricultural City project and its role in advancing sustainable food security, while Technology Experts Company will discuss how modern technologies can improve the sustainability of food supply chains, transportation systems and overall food security.

Key themes of the forum include encouraging investment in food security sectors, developing enablers for economic diversification and increasing local content by attracting and localising high-quality projects driven by innovation and advanced agricultural and food technologies.

Naif bin Hamed Fadel, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the OCCI branch in Dhofar Governorate, said the forum represents a strategic step towards strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors.

He said the initiative reflects the Chamber’s efforts to enable private sector institutions to play a greater role in economic diversification and contribute to the objectives of Oman Vision 2040.

Fadel added that achieving sustainable food security requires coordinated national efforts and an attractive investment environment that allows investors to transform Oman’s resources into productive, value-added projects.

He said the forum would provide an important platform for exchanging expertise, addressing sector challenges and stimulating both national and foreign investment in food security projects.

According to Fadel, the initiative also reinforces Dhofar Governorate’s position as a promising destination for investment in agriculture and food security.

The forum will also witness the signing of usufruct contracts in cooperation with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning to support agricultural and food investments and facilitate value-added projects.

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