NELSPRUIT – The province got a step closer to its ongoing efforts of establishing a working relationship with the Sultanate of Oman this week. The premier, Mr David Mabuza, met the delegation on Monday at the start of a three-day tour of Mpumalanga.
A proposed partnership has been in the pipeline for years. In September 2011, Mabuza took a trip to the country to, according to then spokesman for the government, Mr Lebone Mosia, establish economic and trade relations between Mpumalanga and Muscat, the capital city of Oman.
Mabuza told the legislature in June 2012, in response to questions by the DA during an oral answering session, that the main point of the visit was to establish a fresh produce market. “However, our area of co-operation with Oman is not only in the agriculture sector, but also we are targeting manufacturing, investment and trade promotion, including tourism in both countries,” he said.
Listen to Mabuza’s answers:
Mabuza added that they hoped to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as soon as possible. The proposed visit to further revise their working relationship, came this week when a nine-man delegation arrived. It was headed by Dr Ishaq Ahmed Mohammed Al-Roqishi, under-secretary of Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth. The idea of this visit is to “explore trade and investment opportunities between the two”.
The Oman delegation is to visit various agricultural projects in the province to explore and identify possible areas of cooperation, with Mpumalanga’s primary interest in responding to the Omani government’s food security while also producing extra food for the local market.
“The issue is food security,” Mabuza said. “There is no food. They can’t afford to feed the nation. They have got oil and minerals but they must import food. South Afirca is strong in agriculture and have established export routes.”
Read the full story in Lowvelder on Friday.
