Muscat – Oman has moved closer to adopting its National Biotechnology Strategy after an expanded ministerial meeting on Wednesday reviewed the final draft ahead of its submission to the Council of Ministers for approval.

The meeting brought together ministers, senior officials from relevant government entities, members of the steering committee overseeing the project, representatives of the international consultancy preparing the strategy, and officials from Oman India Fertiliser Company (OMIFCO), which is funding the initiative.

The session was held to secure consensus among government stakeholders on the strategy, which is intended to establish a national framework for developing the biotechnology sector while strengthening governance, innovation and the protection of genetic data.

The strategy has been developed through a series of specialised workshops held over recent months with the participation of experts and technical professionals from across Oman’s biotechnology sector.

The consultations resulted in the identification of priorities for the strategy’s three main biotechnology pillars – red biotechnology (healthcare), green biotechnology (agriculture) and white biotechnology (industrial biotechnology). Participants also approved the fourth-phase action plan.

The action plan proposes a governance framework and business model, alongside preliminary feasibility studies for 12 short-term biotechnology projects that could be implemented during the 11^th Five-Year Plan.

Once approved by the cabinet, the strategy is expected to serve as a roadmap for expanding biotechnology research, encouraging innovation and investment, and supporting economic diversification under Oman Vision 2040.