Food Security Laboratory 2023 Kicks Off in Oman

Muscat: A ceremony was held here today to launch the activities of the Food Security Laboratory 2023. It was held under the auspices of Dr. Khamis Saif Al Jabri, Chairman of Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit.

The lab was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources in cooperation with Oman Vision 2040 Implementation Follow-up Unit and the National Programme for Investment and Export Development “Nazdaher” and the National Employment Programme (NEP).

As part of the laboratory, Yousef Mohammed Al Riyami, Director General of National Statistics, gave a visual presentation in which he said that food sector indicators in the Sultanate of Oman show that the total annual household food consumption stood at RO 2.7 billion, of which 25% is spent on food. He added that the food processing sector supplies the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with about RO 1.2 billion, the equivalent of 4.5% of the sector’s volume.

Al Riyami pointed out that the value of total imports of 2022 stood at RO 14.8 billion, of which imports of food commodities constituted 14.8%, while exports of food commodities stood at RO 1 billion.

Another visual display was presented by Dr. Masoud Sulaiman Al Azri, Director General of Planning at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources. He said that the food security lab complements the ministry’s efforts to develop the food security sector in Oman.

Earlier, the ministry organized the 2021 edition of the food security lab, as well as the food security problem shooting clinics in 2022 and the National Symposium on Food Security, which was held in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence, in the same year.

The agriculture and fisheries sector plays a major role in providing food, generates employment for Omani jobseekers, helps localize modern technology applications and offers investment opportunities for local and foreign investors. – ONA