The annual exercise encourages farmers to enhance crop yields through adopting modern and sustainable cultivation methods, such as hydroponics, organic farming, and protected agriculture.

To benefit from the MOCCAE-led scheme, farmers submitted applications through the Ministry’s website or smart app, or visited one of its Customer Happiness Centers in the northern, eastern, and central regions. The amounts of agricultural inputs allocated to farmers is in direct proportion to the cultivated area of their land. 

In 2019, MOCCAE is distributing 37 types of agricultural inputs. These include organic and compound fertilizers that are used in hydroponics and organic farming, as well as seeds of the most common crops suitable for protected agriculture and organic farming, such as conventional and organic bell pepper and cucumber, zucchini, and organic tomato.

Among other items on the list are integrated pest management (IPM) supplies, such as colored sticky traps, and insecticides and fungicides that are environmentally safe and suitable for hydroponics as well as protected agriculture and organic farming. Materials for the construction of greenhouses, including polycarbonate sheets, insect screens, hydroponic grow pads and cooling pads, and equipment such as irrigation pipes and pumps are also available.

To ensure customer satisfaction, MOCCAE contracted 11 suppliers of agricultural inputs to distribute these commodities at farms and at facilities close to the Ministry’s Customer Happiness Centers at preannounced times.

During the visit to Al Dhaid, His Excellency Sultan Alwan Al Habsi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Regions Sector at MOCCAE, and Engineer Mohammed Al Dhanhani, Director of the Agriculture Development and Health Department at MOCCAE, joined His Excellency Dr Al Zeyoudi in meeting farmers and listening to their feedback on the distribution process.

Engineer Al Dhanhani said: “The scheme aligns with the Ministry’s mandate to promote food diversification through supporting local farmers. By providing subsidized inputs and paving the way for farmers to embrace modern farming techniques, we seek to make the agricultural sector more sustainable and reduce its environmental footprint.”

He added: “The Ministry conducts an annual survey to learn about farmers’ needs for the next growing season. Based on the outcomes of the survey, we decide what inputs to subsidize and the quantities we should make available to them. We make sure that only high quality inputs are supplied and at half the market price.”