South Al Batinah attracts number of projects during first half 2024
Rustaq: South Al Batinah Governorate, represented by “Hazin”, has attracted a number of projects in the fields of industry, food, logistics services and others during the first half of this year, with investments amounting to more than 9 million Omani riyals, bringing the total investments in it by the end of the first half of this year to more than 459 million Omani riyals.
Tariq bin Nasser Al Harrasi, Director of the Department of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion in South Al Batinah Governorate, explained that the number of commercial records registered during the first half of 2024 amounted to 1,444 commercial records, compared to 1,141 commercial records registered during the same period last year 2023 AD, an increase of 26.5 percent.
The total capital of foreign companies also increased from (7 million and 828 thousand Omani riyals) in the first half of 2023 to (11 million and 132 thousand Omani riyals) in the first half of 2024, an increase of 42 percent, and the number of industrial licenses in South Al Batinah Governorate increased during the first half of the current year from 1652 industrial licenses in 2023 to reach 3277 industrial licenses by the end of the first half of 2024.
He added to the Oman News Agency that the central market for vegetables and fruits “Salal” in the city of Khazaen in the Wilayat of Barka is one of the main projects in Khazaen, and aims to enhance food security and provide a marketing outlet for local agricultural products, and an important point of attraction for local and international investors, and contributes to the development of the agricultural sector in the governorate.
He pointed out that South Al Batinah Governorate witnessed a remarkable growth in commercial and industrial activities, reflecting the continuous efforts of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion to improve the business environment and attract local and foreign investments to the Sultanate of Oman in general and South Al Batinah Governorate in particular. These efforts showed an improvement and increase in various figures in these sectors.
Al Harrasi stressed that the administration continues to promote investment opportunities by participating in many different events that aim to attract investors and highlight the competitive advantages of the governorate, stressing that Khazaen Economic City in the Wilayat of Barka represents one of the most prominent of these opportunities, as it is an integrated economic center that includes a group of important investment projects.
He explained that the administration carried out (1380) different visits and inspection campaigns during the first half of the current year 2024, compared to 407 visits during the same period in 2023, stressing that this comes within the administration’s plan to ensure the implementation of the various laws and regulations issued by the ministry. Specialists also conducted many visits and meetings with entrepreneurs to learn about the challenges facing the entrepreneurs sector, and work to overcome them in coordination with the relevant authorities.
It is worth noting that the South Al Batinah Governorate has witnessed various economic developments in all fields, which resulted in the provision of many promising investment opportunities due to its stimulating environment for investment represented by its geographical location, terrain, climate, minerals and natural resources.
