By Dale Hes
Mbombela - The Mpumalanga government will soon supply food to the Sultanate of Oman in the Middle East.
Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza said the province was ready to enter into an agreement with Oman to help resolve that country’s food security problems. This comes after a nine-member delegation from Oman conducted a three-day tour to various agricultural projects in the province.
Mabuza said while the Middle East had a substantial oil supply, food security was a challenge.
“As Mpumalanga, we stand ready to partner with Oman probably to export food to them,” Mabuza said, during his welcoming remarks to the delegation on Monday.
Mabuza explained that both Oman and the provincial government had not been able to take advantage of available economic opportunities.
“Through this visit, we are giving them an opportunity to interact with our farmers and the rest of the agricultural sector while they explore ideas on areas of cooperation with us,” said Mabuza.
The premier added that the provincial government would create a platform for businesspeople to invest in Mpumalanga with the aim of partnering for the production of more food in response to the Arab state’s needs.
Oman's under-secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth, Dr Ishaq Ahmed Mohamed Al-Roqishi, who is the leader of the delegation, said that agriculture in the desert country was practiced on a very small scale.
“We are therefore here to explore and establish some kind of cooperation with Mpumalanga,” Al-Roqishi said.
Al-Roqishi added that the Omani government had established a holding company responsible for agricultural investment opportunities with other countries, and would look to add investments from Mpumalanga to its portfolio.
“We would like to observe some of this province’s success stories as we hope to identify some key issues for further cooperation,” Al-Roqishi said.
The delegation’s visit follows Mabuza’s trip to Oman in 2011, where the Mpumalanga government and the Governorate of Muscat, Oman’s capital city, agreed to establish economic and trade relations in agriculture, tourism and industrial development.
Oman is situated in the Gulf of Arabia and has an estimated population of 3.8 million people. Less than 1% of the country is currently under cultivation, with the main crops consisting of dates, limes, grains and vegetables. – SAnews.gov.za
