Muscat – In a bid to enhance food security and encourage private sector investments in agriculture, the government has signed 11 usufruct agreements for agricultural and livestock projects valued at over RO1.8mn.

The contracts, covering about 325 hectares of land across five governorates, were signed by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources.

The signing ceremony was attended by H E Eng Hamad bin Ali al Nazwani, Undersecretary for Housing, and H E Dr Ahmed bin Nasser al Bakri, Undersecretary for Agriculture.

The initiative is aimed at increasing local food production, improving land use, and integrating modern farming techniques into agricultural and livestock operations. The agreements are expected to strengthen Oman’s food supply chain and contribute to the development of the rural economy.

“The goal is to create viable and sustainable agricultural and livestock projects that align with national food security strategies and generate employment opportunities,” said officials at the signing.

The projects are spread across the governorates of North Batinah, South Batinah, North Sharqiyah, Dakhliyah and Musandam. They cover a wide range of activities including citrus farming, broiler poultry production, development of animal feed crops, greenhouse vegetable cultivation, and the production and marketing of golden onions.