Oman inks smart farm technology pact to boost leafy vegetable production

Muscat: In an effort to achieve self-sufficiency in agricultural products in the Sultanate of Oman and to meet the growing consumer needs for vegetable products, especially leafy ones, the Ministry of Agricultural and Fisheries Wealth and Water Resources signed an agreement with the Korean Information Technology Company (Bomet) for the production of leafy vegetables.

The agreement will help in capacity building, rehabilitation and training of technicians and farmers in the use of smart farm technologies.

With the use of innovative agricultural techniques in producing leafy vegetables, the project aims to attract investments and help job seekers and entrepreneurs in the country.

Financed by the Omani Indian Fertiliser Company (OMIFCO), the smart farm technologies for the production of leafy vegetable crops use hydroponic systems.

The project, which will be implemented in the agricultural research farm of the General Directorate of Agricultural and Animal Research in Al-Rumais, includes two basic stages.

The second stage includes the application and dissemination of the technology among farmers and investors and its evaluation under the supervision of specialists and researchers of the Ministry.

The agreement aims to conduct applied research and scientific studies of the technology to evaluate its production efficiency and economic feasibility and simplify it to suit the environmental conditions in the Sultanate of Oman.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the Ministry by Engineer Khalfan bin Matar Al-Sharji, Director General of Livestock Resources, Acting Undersecretary for Agriculture and Sangon Yang, General Manager of the company, Middle East Office, on behalf of the company.

It may be noted that the smart farm technology for the production of leafy vegetables has many advantages, including increased production per unit area and requiring less water in agriculture that may not be more than 70 percent of what is normally required and being unaffected by external climatic conditions.

This will, therefore, ensure production throughout the year, besides being pesticides-free.