Muscat: Oman Flour Mills (OFM) Company received a consignment of 34,728 metric tonnes of Australian wheat through its subsidiary company, as part of OFM’s project of purchasing wheat directly from Australian farmers.
A ceremony to this effect was held under the auspices of Dr Saud Hamoud al Habsi, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources. Mark Lawrence Donovan, Ambassador of Australia to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of Yemen, attended the event.
Al Habsi said that due to challenges facing supply chains and the difficulty of obtaining foodstuff in general and wheat in particular, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, in cooperation with public and private establishments, searched for different sources of importing wheat. This move resulted in importing wheat from Asia and Latin America, in addition to importing shipments from the storing centre in Türkiye under the supervision of the United Nations (UN).
Al Habsi lauded the efforts exerted by OFM to reach an advance stage in the field of contractual farming by contracting with Australian farmers. The first shipment received on Sunday, he affirmed, is considered a solid move in the food security sphere.
He added that as far as local wheat is concerned, vast spaces were designated for farming this harvest, such as in the Governorate of Al Dhahirah and in the Al Najd region. It is expected, the Minister said, that production of wheat in the Sultanate of Oman will multiply during the coming period. Support has been extended to farmers and the company has committed to buying all the wheat produced by farmers, which in turn contributes to boosting production.
Al Habsi said that the Sultanate of Oman’s need of wheat annually reaches 350,000 tonnes and the stored quantities exceed that amount significantly.
On his turn, Haitham Mohamed Al Fannah, CEO of OFM said that Oman Flour Mills Company secured high quality wheat from farmers in Australia. This resulted in shortening the supply chain, as part of its role towards enhancing food security and securing the strategic stock of grain in the Sultanate of Oman.
He added that OFM is moving forward to invest in strategic assets across the grain value chain. This will ensure that the Sultanate of Oman will receive high quality grain at competitive prices. It will also guarantee the availability of grain, which will enable Oman to secure strategic procurements and ensure food security.
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