Grape harvest season starts in Al Sharqiyah North

Grape harvest season starts in Al Sharqiyah North

AL MUDHAIBI: Grape harvest season began in a number of wilayats of the Al Sharqiyah North Governorate from mid-May and will continue until the end of July.Grape cultivation is widespread in a number of wilayats of the Sultanate of Oman especially in the mountainous areas where moderate temperatures prevail in summer as grapes grow in low temperatures in winter and moderate temperatures in summer.Dr Qais bin Saif al Maawali, Director of the Agricultural Development Department at the Directorate of Agriculture and Water Resources in the Al Sharqiyah North Governorate, said that grape cultivation exists in the governorates of Dhofar, Al Dhahirah, Al Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah North, Al Batinah South, Al Sharqiyah North and Al Sharqiyah South. The total area cultivated with grapes in the Sultanate of Oman is approximately 200 acres and the production is estimated at 1,000 tonnes which make up 4.2 per cent of local consumption estimated at 24,000 tonnes annually with an estimated economic return of RO 1.5 million.The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources attaches a special attention to developing grape cultivation across the country. The ministry targets to set up 10 model grape farms in the Wilayat of Ibra in the Al Sharqiyah North