(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Muscat -
As part of its efforts to support SMEs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MoAF) has called on Omani farmers and investors to participate in the seventh Omani Dates Festival. The festival will take place from October 24-31 at Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre in Muscat.
The ministry has set some conditions for the participants. The participant must be an Omani working in the field of dates production. He must display the 2019 crop and pack it according to specifications. Anyone who wants to participate should fill a form available at www.maf.gov.om/dates
The ministry announced that date production in the sultanate increased in 2018 compared to 2017. According to MoAF statistics the sultanate produced 369,000 tonnes of dates in 2018 compared to 361,000 tonnes in 2017. The production in 2016 was 355,000 tonnes.
In 2015, it was 344,000 tonnes. In 2018, Rustaq produced the maximum dates with 37,000 tonnes followed by 33,000 tonnes in Sohar, 24,000 tonnes in the wilayat of Ibri, 18,000 tonnes in Suwaiq and 17,000 tonnes in the wilayat of Mudhaibi.
The ministry stated the Naghal date variety saw the highest production at 36,000 tonnes followed by 34,000 tonnes of Al Khasab dates, 33,000 tonnes of Al Khalas, 32,000 tonnes of Al Mabsali, and 29,000 tonnes of Umm al Sala. The ministry is implementing a national strategy for the promotion of date palms. It includes the distribution of more than 725,000 seedlings to farmers in various governorates of the sultanate.
The project aims at replacing low-quality palm trees with high productivity and quality plants, and re-organisation of palm tree planting in villages and agricultural areas.
The ministry has already implemented a project to raise productivity, looking at the horticultural aspects in order to increase the productivity of palm trees. 'This project has been implemented in 79 date producing villages in 34 wilayats across the sultanate. More than 1,100 farmers have benefited from the project,' stated the ministry.
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