Muscat: Performance indicators for 2025 confirm continuous growth across various productive sectors in North Al Batinah Governorate, supported by a package of strategic projects, investment opportunities, infrastructure, and logistical services that contribute to raising production efficiency, developing food industries, and increasing exports. According to Oman News Agency, Eng. Nasser Ali Al Marshoodi, Director General of the Directorate General of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources in North Al Batinah Governorate, highlighted the significant progress made in agricultural production, with the cultivated area by the end of 2025 reaching approximately 99,676 feddans, achieving a growth of 4.35 percent compared to the previous year.
He elaborated that vegetable production reached nearly 860,000 tonnes, while fruit production exceeded 87,000 tonnes, and fodder crops surpassed 225,000 tonnes. The Ministry of Agriculture implemented various support programs to enhance productivity and crop quality, including expanding improved Omani wheat varieties and establishing model fields for various crops. Preventive measures also reduced red palm weevil infestations by 36.71 percent, alongside aerial spraying programs to combat Dubas bugs across 48 villages over an area of 818 feddans.
The livestock sector also showed robust performance, with approximately 680,000 heads of livestock and an annual production of 500,000 liters of milk and 4 million poultry. The sector benefits from a comprehensive network of veterinary services, including clinics, laboratories, and grazing sites. Vaccination efforts in 2025, covering over 841,000 animals, helped reduce disease rates. In the fisheries sector, 13,218 fishermen, 5,431 fishing boats, and 31 investment projects contribute to the enhancement of the value chain.
North Al Batinah's agricultural development relies on advanced water infrastructure, including recharge and protection dams, community partnership dams, cloud seeding stations, and traditional irrigation channels (aflaj). The governorate also boasts a robust food safety control system with quarantine offices, food establishments, and testing laboratories that ensure product quality and safety.
In 2025, the "Tatweer" platform offered 50 food security projects with an investment value of RO 307 million, expected to create around 200 job opportunities. The Saham Agricultural City project, established over 92.3 square kilometers, aims to integrate agricultural, residential, and service activities, supporting the goals of Oman Vision 2040.
Al Marshoodi highlighted diverse agricultural investments, including banana, onion, lemon, mango, fig, and potato projects with significant production capacities and investment values. The Oman Sugar Refinery plant, a megaproject at Sohar Port, represents a key investment with a production capacity of 1 million tonnes of refined sugar annually.
The Development Bank played a crucial role in funding 319 projects valued at RO 7.86 million, covering agricultural, livestock, fisheries, water, and food industry sectors. Sustainable investments, such as the fodder cultivation project using treated water in Saham, further exemplify the governorate's commitment to enhancing local market stability.
The integrated logistics city facilitates the growth of agricultural exports, which exceeded 81,000 tonnes in 2025, achieving a growth rate of 7.89 percent. New cultivation projects, including Omani sesame, fava bean, and sugarcane, have reached the marketing stage, further boosting local production.
Partnership agreements, such as those with the Oman Sugar Refinery Company and the Oman Agriculture Development Company, support the integration of production chains and sustainability in the agricultural sector. Plans for 2026 include offering 42 investment opportunities across 600 feddans, reinforcing North Al Batinah's position as a key national hub for food production in Oman.
