The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources has announced that the 15th Omani Honey Market will be conducted from January 28 to 31, 2021.

“The market will continue for four days at Muscat Grand Mall. The objective of this market is to popularise Omani agricultural products, reach out to foreign markets and open up new markets,” a ministry official said. 

He added, “We call on beekeepers from different parts of the sultanate to participate in this market. It will bring together apiarists and Omani honey sellers to present their products and highlight one of the most important products of the agricultural sector. Due to the ongoing pandemic, only a limited number of exhibitors will be allowed to take part.”

“The honey products will be tested by food experts to ensure  quality before being displayed in the market. The event allows visitors to learn about different types of honey. It will also showcase methods of packaging and marketing the product as per the modern standards,” the ministry official said.

The market will be open from 10am to 10pm. Honey producers can register via www.maf.gov.om. The deadline for registration is January 7, 2021.

The ministry has organised honey markets since 2014. 

Honey sales jumped by 15.7 per cent in 2019 over 2018. Sales from the 13th Omani Honey Market, which was held in December 2019 at Muscat Grand Mall, accounted for RO142,026, while the market organised in June 2019 saw sales of RO99,000, taking the total for 2019 to RO241,026.

According to ministry statistics, the number of beekeepers in the sultanate was 5,336 with 112,068 honeycombs that produced 672,208kg of honey in 2018.