UAE buys up more than half of neighbour Oman’s fish exports
The UAE has been the biggest importer of Oman’s fish this year, taking more than half of its neighbour’s exports.
Oman exported 220,000 tonnes of fish in the first nine months, an increase of 2.3 per cent on the same period last year, the national centre for statistics and information said.
Fifty five per cent of this year’s exports went to the UAE, compared with 33 per cent last year.
“I believe a big demand for fish is coming from tourism and international events in the UAE,” said Khalil Al Badi, general manager of Al Batnah Fishery Distributions. “This is good for local fishermen because it has boosted their livelihood and will continue to do so.”
Figures for this year show the income of 27 per cent of Oman’s 2.6 million population comes from fishing – an increase of about 3 per cent from last year. The country’s 1,700 kilometre coastline is the longest in the Gulf and coastal areas are sparsely populated.
Most fishermen live in the capital, Muscat, Salalah, the eastern town of Sharqiyah, or in the Batnah region.
Khamis Al Darbeen, a fisherman in Liwa in the Batnah region, said the UAE’s proximity to Oman was a big advantage.
“It is only a few hours’ drive to the UAE border,” said Mr Al Darbeen, 46. “The UAE gets our fish the same day and, in our trade, fresh product is important.”
Another factor attracting the UAE’s distributors is that the cost to import fish is low, Mr Al Badi said.
Ali Al Shizawi, a fisherman in Sohar, said the increased demand for fish from the UAE had eased tension among competing Omani fishermen.
“There are a lot of fishermen who are chasing the same fixed demand at home,” said Mr Al Shizawi, 33. “With the increasing UAE demand, I do not need to compete any more with other suppliers in Oman.
“Demand for my catch has gone up by almost 30 per cent in the last three months thanks to the extra demand from the UAE.”