Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries is inviting private investors to support the establishment of a 100,000 coconut tree plantation near the coastal town of Salalah. The plantation is integrated with a value-adding manufacturing facility that will kickstart the growth of a coconut-based processing industry in the sultanate.
The so-called ‘Model Farm for Coconut Trees and Product Manufacturing’ is proposed to come up on 460 hectares of land allocated to the Ministry in Ayn Razat, in Salalah.
Plans drawn up by the Ministry envisage the cultivation of 50,000 trees in the first phase, followed by a similar number in the second phase. Besides being the single largest coconut farm in the sultanate, the plantation is also intended to add to Salalah’s tourist potential.
Tradearabia.com reports how, in conjunction with the development of the coconut farm, the Ministry is also proposing the establishment of a manufacturing complex that will process the fruit to manufacture a wide array of products for domestic consumption as well as overseas export.