Four Southern Highbush varieties grown in Jabal Al Akhdar in government-backed project
Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources has announced that the country’s first successful blueberry bushes have been grown in the Wilayat of Jabal Al Akhdar in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate.
As reported in the Times of Oman, the initiative is part of the ministry’s efforts to invest in crops of economic value, mainly in the cold mountainous areas, which contribute to the country’s diversification of agriculture and boosts sustainable farming systems.
The blueberry trees are being grown on an area of 1,000m2 and each plant yielded between 3kg and 5kg of fruit. The blueberries are harvested from May to end of June.
Engineer Mohannad bin Al Khatab Al Hinai said that the project includes some 500 plants made up of four different varieties of Southern Highbush brought in from the Republic of Georgia.
He said that the project follows sustainable practices and methods including modern methods of irrigation and periodical spray on the leaves of the plant with liquefied organic fertiliser.
The varieties trialled require between 200 to 400 cold hours, which makes Al Jabal Al Akhdar suitable in terms of climate.
Dr Masaud bin Sulaiman Al Azri, director general of agricultural and fisheries marketing at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources, said that the ministry directly contributes to minimising the challenges facing investors and farmers besides its contribution in improvement of the productivity of plants. The ministry also offers guidance and agricultural services through the research centres and guidance departments.
