Al-Hosn Investment Company, a joint partnership company between Qatar Holding and Oman's Ministry of Finance, has signed a RO10mn deal with two Spanish agricultural companies to develop a 12-hectare hydroponic greenhouse project in Barka.
Believed to be the first of its type in the region, the project is anticipated to be ready by the start of the growing season in September and fully operational by December. The project will initially be producing tomatoes and green peppers and have a capacity of 3mn tonnes per year.
The two Spanish companies - MSC Fabricas Agricolas of Seville and Zeta Amaltea of Zaragoza - have experience in soilless hydroponic projects and water management, and the Barka project is expected to use up to 60 per cent less water than conventional farming techniques.
Houssam Kharbotli, CEO of Al-Hosn, told Muscat Daily that the production will principally be export-based and not designed to compete with local producers, but some produce can be held back for food-security purposes
He said, "We hope this is a step to revitalise the agriculture sector in Oman using Omani products, but with high-quality European specifications."
Kharbotli said that the produce will be packaged and promoted as a '100 per cent Omani product' for export purposes.
"The good news is that it will be an Omani brand," he added. The project will also have a marketing office in the UAE.
The facility will consist of seven greenhouses and although the project will begin with tomatoes and green peppers, the facility will also be testing out other fruit and vegetables in an on-site shadow house, with tentative plans to venture into downstream manufacturing in the future.
Speaking at the ceremony, MSC Fabricas Agricolas president Antonio Luque Ruiz said that he expects the new technology to spur renewed development in the sultanate's agricultural sector.
He said, "We are bringing the best technology in agriculture, and I hope that in the next few years we will see new greenhouses which bring a new and bright future to local farmers."
Formed in 2008, Al-Hosn Investment Company is a joint partnership company between Qatar Holding and the Ministry of Finance in Oman, with both partners providing RO50mn capital each.
© Muscat Daily 2012
