Oman to develop aquaculture projects

OMAN’S Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is due to announce the winners of largescale commercial aquaculture projects at eight sites, the Times of Oman reported earlier this month.

The ministry selected the sites for development in June 2016 and sought applications from potential investors.

‘We will tell investors about the successful applications, and then these companies can start their feasibility studies and apply for environmental permits,’ said Dr Hamed Said Al Oufi, undersecretary of fisheries wealth at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

He said that commercial licences will then be awarded to the winning companies, which were chosen from 40 applications.

‘We are aiming for 200,000 tonnes of high-value fish per annum from aquaculture projects by 2030. These are mostly for export and the local market,’ said Dr Al Oufi.

Once the projects begin operating, it will help to eliminate the gap in supply and demand in the domestic market as well.

He also said that five companies have already received commercial licences for starting aquaculture projects, and these ventures are coming up in different places, including Quriyyat, Sharqiya and Dhofar region.

One farm is raising abalone in Dhofar region, another is a shrimp project in Jaalan (Sharqiya) and another is planned in Quriyyat. The shrimp project is expected to produce between 3,000 tonnes and 4,000 tonnes of shrimp per annum.

‘Now they are obtaining equipment, importing cages, and so on,’ said Dr Al Oufi. These five are among 18 projects that received an initial ministry clearance and environmental permits.