MUSCAT : The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion, represented by Invest in Oman, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources have intensified cooperation to develop investment projects and opportunities across Oman’s food, agriculture and fisheries sectors.

The partnership has resulted in the localisation of 12 projects with a combined investment value of RO 97.413 million, while 13 additional opportunities worth approximately RO 122.849 million have been made available to investors through the Invest in Oman platform.

The cooperation covers the entire investment development process, from identifying sector potential and requirements to developing, structuring and localising projects based on clear investment components and enablers.

The initiative is aimed at strengthening food security, developing local value chains and increasing the contribution of productive sectors to the national economy, in line with Oman Vision 2040 objectives for economic diversification and more efficient use of national resources.

Dr. Masoud bin Suleiman Al-Azri, Director General of Agricultural and Fisheries Marketing at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, said cooperation with Invest in Oman had been characterised by flexibility, smooth coordination and rapid response.

He said the partnership helped transform a number of sector requirements and resources into viable projects and investment opportunities.

Al-Azri added that the integration of expertise between the two entities allows each side to play a specialised role in developing projects and opportunities, while helping attract investments that support growth across the agriculture, fisheries and food sectors.

Nasser bin Khalifa Al Kindi, CEO of Invest in Oman, said the cooperation demonstrates the importance of combining sector expertise with investment capabilities to develop projects that are closely aligned with actual market potential and sector requirements.

He said the localisation of 12 projects and development of 13 investment opportunities represented tangible results of the partnership and contributed to building a more diversified investment portfolio linked to national economic priorities.

Al Kindi said Invest in Oman continues to work with government entities to develop high-quality and investment-ready opportunities and connect them with suitable investors.

The 12 localised projects in food industries and food security have a combined investment value of RO 97.413 million and are spread across several governorates and economic zones.

Among the largest is the Meat City project in Salalah, Dhofar Governorate, with an investment value of RO 27 million. Other major projects include a food factory in Khazaen Economic City worth RO 14 million and a green coal project on agricultural and fisheries lands valued at RO 16 million.

The portfolio also includes Sohar Food and Refreshments Factory in Khazaen Economic City with an investment of RO 7.7 million, a pet food factory in Salalah Free Zone worth RO 3.465 million and the Taj Al Bahr fish farming project in Qurayyat, Muscat Governorate, with an investment of RO 1.7 million.

Other projects include a date palm cultivation project worth RO 1.342 million, a wheat cultivation project valued at RO 1.205 million, the Honey Bee Museum in Barka, South Al Batinah Governorate, worth RO 1.2 million, and an agricultural gypsum factory in Al Khabourah, North Al Batinah Governorate, with an investment of RO 1 million.

Officials said the projects reflect the diversity of investment potential within Oman’s food industry and food security sectors while supporting the development of domestic value chains.

Dr. Hamdan bin Salem Al Wahaibi, Director General of Agricultural Development at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, said the localisation of these projects reflects a growing focus on making better use of Oman’s agricultural resources and developing productive activities associated with them.

He said the projects would help strengthen local production, develop agricultural value chains, diversify output and create greater value-added opportunities for investors.

Meanwhile, the 13 new investment opportunities available through Invest in Oman have a combined estimated value of RO 122.849 million and span food security, agriculture, fisheries and related industries.

Six opportunities are located in the Najd agricultural area in Al Mazyouna, Dhofar Governorate. They include a livestock fattening and dairy production project worth RO 4.449 million, cantaloupe cultivation valued at RO 2.1 million, leafy vegetable production in greenhouses worth RO 1.6 million, onion cultivation and processing valued at RO 4.8 million, garlic cultivation worth OMR 2.3 million and potato cultivation and processing worth RO 5.5 million.

Other major opportunities include a Smart Agricultural Complex in Qurayyat, Muscat Governorate, with an investment value of about RO 17 million.

In the fisheries sector, opportunities include a marine dock equipment factory in the Special Economic Zone at Duqm valued at RO 6.2 million and an integrated fishing equipment manufacturing complex at the Port of Duqm worth RO 7.2 million.

Further projects include a floating-cage tuna fattening project in Qurayyat worth RO 4.7 million, an Omani abalone farming project in Shaleem and the Hallaniyat Islands in Dhofar valued at RO 10 million, a large-scale shrimp farming project in Ras Madrakah worth RO 32 million and a whiteleg shrimp farming project in Ras Sarak, Jalan Bani Bu Ali, South Al Sharqiyah Governorate, valued at RO 25 million.

Dr. Abdulaziz bin Saeed Al Marzouqi, Director General of Fisheries Resources Development, said the investment opportunities in the fisheries sector demonstrate the diversity of Oman’s marine resources and their potential to be developed into higher-value economic activities.

He said the range of projects across different locations, activities and investment sizes would help broaden opportunities for investors while supporting sustainable development of the fisheries sector and increasing its contribution to the national economy.

Rawa bint Mohammed Al Lawati, Investor Relations Specialist and Head of Support at Invest in Oman, said the joint working mechanism is based on clearly defined and complementary roles.

She explained that the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources identifies sector resources, needs and priority projects, while Invest in Oman develops these into structured investment opportunities by defining the activity, location, investment value and available enablers before presenting them to investors.

She added that the approach allows the ministry to expand its investor base and attract investments aligned with sector requirements, while enabling Invest in Oman to offer more specialised opportunities tied to the actual needs of priority sectors.

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