100 tonnes of fish sold in a month at new market

BARKA — Sayyid Saud bin Hilal al Busaidy, State Minister and Governor of Muscat, yesterday officially opened the Central wholesale Fish Market at Al Fulaij in the Wilayat of Barka in the Governorate of South Al Batinah in the presence of a number of ministers. At the opening ceremony, Dr Hamad bin Said al Oufi, Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for Fisheries, gave a presentation entitled: Restructuring of Fish Marketing System and the Operation of the Central Market in which he referred to the fish species in the seas of the Sultanate, the fishing fleet, the total value of the fish production and the local markets, providing studies and statistics on this aspect. He also explained the Central wholesale Fish Market, mechanism of operation, work and action steps, mentioning marketing outlets in various wilayats and the development of legislation.

The chief guest toured the facilities of the market and was briefed by the Director-General of Fish Marketing and Investment and the Director of the Central wholesale Fish Market and the specialists and professionals in the market on its various processes. The opening ceremony was attended by a number of undersecretaries, advisers, members of the Majlis Ash’shura, members of the Barka Municipal Council, a number of Directors-General and Directors at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, shaiks and dignitaries from the wilayats of the Governorate of South Al Batinah and officials of the implementing company of the project. The total area of the Central wholesale Fish Market is 43,000 square metres, including 12,000 square metres allocated for the covered air-conditioned building, in addition to the area of receiving and sorting of fish, cold rooms, storing rooms and units that can produce 75 tonnes of ice daily, a laboratory and administrative offices.

The Central wholesale Fish Market is one of the important projects to the advancement of fish marketing in the Sultanate and has been built in accordance with the technical specifications and high health requirements. The Central wholesale Fish Market comes to have demand and supply at the same place, organise the distribution of products in the domestic market and foreign markets, shorten procedures of marketing, contribute to the achievement of the balance between supply and demand, create one balanced price according to competition and transparency, reducing direct export of fish from the landing points of the raw material, to maintain the quality of fish products and specifications applicable and create a system of transparency in deals of fishery products. The statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of the Central wholesale Fish Market since the start of operation on April 20th, stated that the total quantities of sold fish was 100 tonnes at the value of RO 95.000. — ONA

Wednesday 21st, May 2014 / 23:38 Written by Oman Observer 

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