Tuesday 17 / September / 2024
Muscat: The International Marine Products Company “SMAK” - a subsidiary of the Oman Fish Development Company—seeks to raise the added value of the fishery sector through its factory in the Fish Industries Area in the Special Economic Zone in Duqm and supply local and foreign markets with high-quality Omani marine products.
Zakaria bin Sulaiman Al-Hassani, CEO of the International Marine Products Company, explained that the company had begun pilot production of tuna cans in March 2024, with a production capacity of 35 per cent of the factory’s total production capacity, which will reach 100 million cans.
He said in a statement to the Oman News Agency that the company targets the local, regional and international markets, noting that the factory’s tuna products will be available during the month of June in the local markets in the Sultanate of Oman.
He stressed that the company achieves added value to marine products by supplying fish from the local market and Omani companies that fish on the high seas and importing the majority of the products involved in the production stages from local companies, noting that the company has partnered with some specialized Omani companies to market and distribute the company’s products in local markets.
He added that the company uses fish waste in the factory to produce fish oils and powder, and takes advantage of the water used in the process of thawing and cleaning fish to be re-purified and used for irrigation and cooling of the factory equipment, indicating that the production capacity of fish oil powder will reach the equivalent of 9 tons per day, and 1.2 tons of fish oil powder, and fish oil.
He pointed out that an agreement was reached with several local fishermen to purchase high-quality fish for use in both local and foreign markets, contract with small and medium enterprises to supply the factory with fish, market and distribute the company’s products in the local market, and supply the factory with some products necessary for production, such as oils, salts, packaging boxes, etc.
He added that the company will sign an agreement in the coming period with several Omani companies to supply the factory with solar energy cells. He explained that the company had issued a tender to establish a tuna can factory next to the “SMAK” factory with a 5-year contract to supply the local market with these products.
Regarding the percentage of Omanisation, the CEO of the International Marine Products Company said that the company is keen to employ Omanis and provide them with the experience and skills necessary to work in the factory, as the number of employees in the company with the maximum production capacity of the factory will reach about 630 employees.
Muhanna bin Abdullah Al-Harbi from the Adwaa Ras Al-Hadd Company confirmed that the International Marine Products Company “SMAK” provided the opportunity to purchase high-quality fish from the institution. The company’s location close to the fishing port in Duqm reduced transportation costs. He explained that this commercial partnership will help the organisation achieve good financial returns by providing larger quantities of fish during the coming period in conjunction with the start of the factory’s commercial production of tuna cans.
Saif bin Saeed Al Junaibi, a citizen from the Wilayat of Duqm who works at the International Marine Products Company, pointed out that the company, since the start of construction work for the factory, has been keen to employ Omanis, especially from the people of the state, calling on Omani youth to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the company, whether in terms of employment or business opportunities for small and medium enterprises.
