Oman’s dedicated Food City project at Khazaen

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MUSCAT: A high-level delegation representing government and public sector entities responsible for delivering Oman’s national food security strategy, visited Khazaen Economic City to conduct a first-hand assessment of the Food City planned within the hub.

Led by Dr Saud al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, the team also comprised Eng Yaqoub bin Khalfan al Busaidi, Fisheries Under-Secretary; Halima bint Rashid al-Zaree, Chairperson of SME Development Authority, and Sulayem bin Ali al Hakmani, Chairman of the Consumer Protection Authority.

“The purpose of the visit was to assess Khazaen's contribution to food security projects, including the Central Fruit and Vegetable Market (Silal), the industrial bakery of Salalah Mills Company, the Oman Bio-Products factory, and the food industries center of Jasmine Oriental Company, which is recognized as one of the largest food processing centers in the Middle East,” said Khazaen in a post.

The Food City project, which combines Silal and a Food Industrial Cluster, exemplifies Khazaen’s commitment to strengthening food security by offering attractive investment opportunities, it further noted.

“The Food City project is designed to meet the increasing demand for food in both local and international markets, while also fostering the development of value-added food industries, improving food supply chains and cold chains, and attracting high-quality food industry sectors such as packaging, canning and re-export.”

Covering an area of 1 million m2, The Food City integrates the Khazaen Central Fruits and Vegetables Market (Silal) with a value-added Food Industries Cluster alongside supply chain infrastructure. This combination of facilities and capabilities is designed to enable the establishment of an integrated platform for exporting, importing, packaging, marketing, and distributing vegetables and fruits, says Khazaen.