By Hiba al Busaidiya — Nizwa, in the Governorate of Al Dakhiliyah, has been able to produce an abundant wheat crop this year. The wheat production here has increased by 14 per cent from the last season. Also, some fields have achieved high record in terms of productivity with some areas producing more than two tonnes 
in some of the crop in its various forms.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Wealth plays an important role in the deployment and development of wheat cultivation in the Sultanate. They have spared no efforts to maximise the economic, environmental and social income from this strategic crop.
Sultan bin Saif bin Sultan al Shaibani, Director-General of 
Agriculture and Livestock in Al Dakhiliyah Governorate, said that the achievement in the wheat productivity this year is a result of the planning to expand in the cultivation of some grains, which are cultivated before the process of planting wheat and barley.
In addition, the response of the farmers to the detailed plans and programmes of the 
ministry has had a positive impact in the success of the wheat cultivation expansion project.
The ministry has formed a working group to discuss the basis and ways of expansion in the cultivation of wheat by adding new areas and a process called vertical expansion, which helps in increasing productivity per unit area. The soil is tested and 
experiments are held on the particular grain to be cultivated, after which the new varieties of high productivity grain which have been found to be suitable for the Sultanate, is cultivated. On comparison it was found that there was an increase in productivity per 100 acres in the area targeted by the committee for the supervision of 
the project for wheat cultivation this season. The governorate's total output of wheat has been projected at 674 tonnes this year.
Besides, some of the varieties in various areas have been known to produce the wheat crop at more than the expected level. For example in Wadi Quriyat the productivity of one feddan (4,200 square metres) of the 
crop has been 2,200 kilograms in some fields. It has been found by the supervision committee that the projected output of wheat in this season compared to the number in the cultivated fields in the season of 2010/2011 and the year 2011/2012 has increased in productivity according to the target area of the committee.
There are some 
services and programmes on offer by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to promote the cultivation of wheat in the Sultanate.
The ministry is seeking to raise the proportion of contribution for the needs of the Sultanate for wheat crop and reduce the gap between the demand of grain and the supply of the produce in the 
local market. Furthermore, it has also provided many other services to the farmers, such as the procurement of good wheat seeds with the positive genetic traits. The government has formed a professional team to visit and select good fields for growing the crop.
The ministry has also instituted a team to supervise the fields from time to time until the harvest season by the professional departments concerned in each governorate.
It provides free support for farmers, including harvesting machines and help in purchases of the wheat product from the fields at about RO 600 per tonne to distribute free for farmers to ensure that the quality of the planted grain in the fields are of top quality.
