NELSPRUIT – The Mpumalanga Government is confident about possible investment in the province by the Omani Government.
The Office of the Premier called the three-day visit by a five-man delegation from the Sultanate of Oman last week fruitful. They met with government departments, provincial/public entities, local farmers and visited a number of agricultural projects throughout the province, after which the delegation expressed interest in trading with Mpumalanga, especially in agricultural produce.
The delegation, led by Oman’s under-secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth, Dr Ishaq Ahmed Mohamed Al-Roqishi, identified four investment possibilities in agriculture. These were Corommandel in Lydenburg which produces wheat and promotes agri-tourism, Giba – bananas and vegetables, Ndwandwe Trust which concentrates on potatoes and citrus and Champaigne Farm in Bushbuckridge, which focuses on citrus and vegetables.
All these are community property association farms through the government’s land-reform programme. Possible investment will be in production, processing, packaging, transport and other logistics in exporting to Oman.
The envisaged Mpumalanga Fresh Produce Market was one of the key agricultural commodities projects identified for possible investment. Others include exchange programmes on veterinary services, agriculture researchers and extension officers, direct flights to Oman and environmental management issues.
The premier Mr David Mabuza also called for a permanent team to ensure that successful trade and investment relations between Mpumalanga and Oman are established. This interaction is governed by a national investment agreement.
“It looks as if we are on the same page as we seek to present a guide on how to move forward from here,” Mabuza said at the visit’s conclusion. “We need to conclude a project implementation plan on the agreed investment opportunities.
“To achieve that we must speedily establish a permanent team from my side that will work with Oman to institute relations with them. The support by the Oman ministry of agriculture will further determine the speed at which we must move on. Our team should start working now to prepare for meetings in February with Oman’s Investment Company and their business people.”
Al-Roqishi added that there was a need for technical cooperation which required the direct involvement of the business sector. He concluded that there was a huge demand for Mpumalanga’s agricultural produce in Oman and once an agreement had been cemented, both would enjoy exceptional relations.
