Saturday 04 / October / 2025
Muscat: The Food Security Lab 2025, organised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, will begin on Sunday, with participation from relevant government agencies, government companies, the private sector, and others. This comes as part of ongoing efforts to enhance the food security system and achieve the goals of Oman Vision 2040.
The lab aims to boost investment in the food security sector and achieve an integrated and sustainable food system by launching initiatives, enhancing the efficiency of digital services for the food security sector, promoting institutional integration and raising the efficiency of planning and implementation within the ministry and the sector as a whole, and improving career and efficiency through developing individual performance.
This year, the Food Security Lab will focus on reviewing the sector's strategic programme, evaluating existing investment projects, and working to resolve the challenges facing their implementation. New investment projects will also be announced, qualitative enabling initiatives will be launched, and the sector's supporting capabilities will be strengthened to ensure the sustainability and efficiency of the food security system.
The programme will also include specialised workshops with the participation of a select group of experts, investors, and representatives of relevant authorities, with the aim of producing practical outcomes that can be implemented on the ground in the coming period.
Dr. Masoud bin Sulaiman al Azri, Director General of Agricultural and Fisheries Marketing at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources and General Supervisor of the Food Security Lab 2025, explained that the outcomes of the Food Security Lab 2024 included the introduction of 41 investment projects in various sectors, with a total value exceeding OMR45 million. Fourteen investment contracts were signed in the fisheries sector with a value exceeding OMR36.8 million, and 177 contracts for agricultural projects with a value exceeding OMR32.3 million.
In a statement to the Oman News Agency, he said: "In 2024, the lab produced 24 enabling initiatives for projects in the food security sector and the development of logistics services. The "Tharawat" and "Zad" platforms were also launched to support and enable investment projects in the sector, and 66 additional investment opportunities were offered through electronic platforms."
He added that the Food Security Lab is an annual event for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, during which a number of strategic initiatives and plans are launched that contribute to supporting the national economy and raising the efficiency of the food security sector.
