Muscat – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources signed an agreement on Wednesday with Oman Flour Mills Company to purchase wheat crop from Omani farmers following the 2022 harvest season.

The agreement aims to enhance food security and support farmers.

“The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources has distributed 30 tonnes of wheat seeds to farmers in the Najd area of Dhofar governorate as part of a programme to encourage wheat cultivation in the sultanate,” a ministry official said.

Wheat production grew by 19 per cent in Oman during the 2020/2021 agricultural season to 2,649 tonnes, he informed. The total area under wheat cultivation in the 2020/2021 season was 2,449 acres – a 19.6 per cent growth over the previous season.

“The ministry accords much attention and exerts efforts to enhance the wheat crop in cooperation with several international, regional and local organisations and research centres through programmes to develop local wheat cultivars and also by importing samples to be tested in the sultanate,” the official said.

“The Directorate General for Agricultural and Animal Research prioritises developing new cultivars that are resistant to environmental challenges, such as heat and plant pathogens, to cover the production gap, as well as finding solutions for genetic deterioration resulting from repeated cultivation.”

The official added that average production during the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons was one tonne per one acre of cultivation.

The wilayat of Bahla topped production – 710 tonnes from 445.6 acres of cultivated land – followed by Ibri (437 tonnes from 363 acres), Thumrait (360 tonnes from 537.6 acres), Nizwa (287 tonnes from 225 acres) and Manah (239 tonnes from 225.8 acres).