Page 35 - AA 2026

Oman

egy 2040 aims to attract 11.7 million dex pilot. The pilot highlighted major Life Advantage
visitors annually by 2040. This target issues, such as inconsistent vaccina- In 2025, fresh and chilled poultry
suggests ongoing growth in food-ser- tion practices and weak disease-sur- made up 55.31% of the market share,
vice demand and a shift toward pre- veillance systems. These problems highlighting the strong preference of
mium poultry products, such as high- are more common in Al Batinah and Omani consumers for fresh and mini-
value cuts and processed items, that Dhofar governorates, where small- mally processed products. These
meet global hospitality standards. In holder farms dominate. Small farms products are mainly bought from
key tourist hubs like Muscat, Salalah, also face challenges in accessing wet markets and traditional butch-
and Nizwa, new hotels are being veterinary services and laboratory ers. This segment remains dominant
developed, increasing the need for diagnostics, leading to higher bird because of cultural traditions, where
long-term supply agreements with mortality and lower feed efficiency families prefer to buy whole birds,
local and regional poultry producers. compared to larger operations like cut them at home, and cook them us-
Government Investments and A’Saffa and Dhofar Poultry. The Min- ing traditional spices and methods,
Policies Support Domestic Poultry istry of Agriculture is working to im- which are deeply tied to local food
Production prove standards by forming a nation- habits.
al biosecurity committee. However,
Oman’s Ministry of Agriculture, In contrast, canned poultry is the
Fisheries and Water Resources is the cost of upgrading infrastructure, fastest-growing segment, with an ex-
taking steps to improve biosecurity estimated at OMR 5,000–10,000 (USD pected CAGR of 3.45% through 2031.
and reduce dependence on imports. 13,000–26,000) per farm, is too high Its growing demand is due to its long
Through the Tanfeedh national-de- for small farms with limited profits. shelf life of 24–36 months, its role in
velopment program, funding has This cost barrier widens the produc- emergency preparedness, and gov-
been provided for three major poul- tivity gap and slows overall supply ernment efforts to stockpile food for
try projects: Al Namaa, which aims to growth in the sector. better food security. A good example
produce 60,000 metric tons of poultry Lack of Cold-Chain Infrastruc- is Zwan’s chicken luncheon meat,
annually; Osool, which will operate a ture Limits Chilled and Value-Add- which contains 80% chicken and of-
hatchery with a capacity of 150 mil- ed Poultry Segment Growth fers a high-protein, ready-to-eat op-
lion eggs; and Dana, which plans to Oman’s cold-chain network re- tion. This product is especially pop-
produce 335 million eggs. In March mains underdeveloped in rural and ular among urban households and
2025, the Food and Agriculture Or- interior regions, despite govern- expatriates who value convenience
ganization launched the Integrated ment investments in logistics hubs at and quality.
Biosecurity Index pilot in Oman to Duqm and Salalah. This limits the dis- Geography Analysis
create consistent disease-prevention tribution of fresh and chilled poultry Oman’s poultry meat market is
measures and set up a national bi- to urban areas. Retailers in Al Wusta, primarily concentrated in the Mus-
osecurity committee. This program Al Dhahirah, and Al Buraimi rely on cat Capital Area, which accounts for
addresses long-standing challenges frozen or shelf-stable products due to about 45% of the country’s total con-
that have limited productivity and ex- a lack of refrigerated transport and sumption. This is due to its population
port approvals. These efforts reflect storage, restricting the market for of 1.6 million, higher income levels,
Oman’s strong focus on building a premium fresh chicken, which costs and a large number of hotels, restau-
self-reliant and export-ready poultry 20–30% more than frozen options. In rants, and organized retail outlets.
industry based on local production. 2024, Muscat Municipality destroyed Dhofar governorate, with Salalah as
Fragmented Small Farms Hinder tons of poultry due to temperature its main city, is the second-largest
Efficiency and Investment in Mod- violations, highlighting the risks of market. Salalah attracts over 600,000
ern Technology and Biosecurity poor cold-chain systems. Companies tourists annually during the Khareef
Oman’s poultry sector has a dual like Tabreed Oman and Matrah Cold monsoon season, which boosts poul-
structure, with a few large integrators Stores are expanding refrigerated try demand. The Dhofar Poultry Com-
and many small-scale farms, each storage, but each 5,000-ton facility pany also plays a key role in supply-
raising fewer than 10,000 birds. This requires OMR 2–3 million (USD 5.2– ing both local and Gulf Cooperation
fragmented setup makes it difficult to 7.8 million). Public-private invest- Council (GCC) markets. Al Batinah
invest in key infrastructure like bios- ments in refrigerated trucking are governorate, which includes Sohar
ecurity systems, automated climate also needed. These challenges mean and the Najd Agricultural Zone, is be-
control, and feed-milling facilities, a fully developed cold-chain network coming a major production hub. So-
which require larger operations to will take years, delaying growth in har Poultry Company, a joint venture
be cost-effective. In March 2025, the the premium poultry market. between Atyab Investment Oman
Food and Agriculture Organization By Type: Fresh Formats Domi- and IFFCO Group Sharjah, reported
started its Integrated Biosecurity In- nate, Canned Accelerates on Shelf- revenues of USD 19.5 million in 2025.
Arab Agriculture 2026 33