Nine agriculture and fisheries research projects worth OMR778,000 approved

Muscat: Nine agriculture and fisheries research projects worth OMR778,000 are to be financed by the Fisheries and Agriculture Development Fund. A meeting of the Board of Directors was held yesterday under the chair of Dr. Fouad bin Jaafer Al Sagwani, Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries and Chairman of the Fund.
The funded projects are expected to contribute to developing the agriculture and fisheries sector, enhancing the food security system, creating job opportunities and diversifying sources of national income.
The meeting discussed a number of issues to enhance and diversify the financial resources of the Fund. It also followed up the implementation of the decisions taken at the previous meeting. The Board of Directors also approved the report of the external auditor for 2016, which stressed the sound performance of the Fund as per the approved standards.
It should be noted that since its inception in 2004, the Fisheries and Agriculture Development Fund has financed 212 agriculture and fisheries projects at a cost of about OMR38 million. The projects, which cover the different governorates, have clear effect on the development of these sectors and meeting the needs of the targeted audience.