Samayil central lab to boost dates research, value addition
The Directorate-general of the One Million Date Palm Trees Project at the Diwan of Royal Court on Wednesday organised a tour of inspection to the Nizwa plantation in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate under the auspices of Shaikh Dr Khalifa bin Hamad al Saadi, Governor of Al Dakhiliyah.
He was accompanied by a delegation comprising some members of State Council and Majlis Ash’shura, Walis, members of the Municipal Council, officials at government departments and Shaikhs and dignitaries of Al Dakhiliyah Governorate.
Al Dakhiliyah Governorate is home to the Nizwa plantation located in Al Mutamar village in the Wilayat of Nizwa and Samayil plantation in Al Haboub area in the Wilayat of Samayil.
The Nizwa plantation has 20,000 fardh, khalas species as well as male date palms. Due to its location on the centre of the project’s 11 date palm plantations, Nizwa will be home to the date palm products complex.
The Wilayat of Samayil is home to another date palm plantation with 10,000 trees as well as a central date palm lab currently under construction. Both the farms are irrigated with treated waste water. The project management utilises the latest wastewater treatment technologies that are suitable for date palm irrigation.
The One Million Date Palm Trees Project with its multiple implementation phases has become a reality using the latest technologies in the various irrigation and plantation processes thus constituting a quantum leap in date palm plantation in the Sultanate.
The implementation of the Million Date Palm Trees Project came in response to the Royal directives issued by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos, which reflects His Majesty’s wisdom considering the great importance of the date palm sector in achieving food security in the Sultanate.
Speaking on the sidelines of the inspection, Dr Saif bin Rashid al Shaqsi, Director-general of the One Million Date Palm Trees Project note that the utilisation of modern technologies in the project is aimed at leveraging the date palm sector in the Sultanate adding that the central lab will boost date palm related researches and set up industrial outputs based on the knowledge economy which appropriately exploits raw materials in proper methods thereby doubling their value.
Shaikh Dr Khalifa bin Hamad al Saadi, Governor of Al Dakhiliyah, hailed the efforts being exerted in the implementation of the project as well as the utilisation of advanced technologies in the project which, he said, will boost the value-added of the project.