OREANDA-NEWS. A study financed by Vale in Oman is going to contribute to the recovery of two of the most traditional agricultural products in this Middle East country: mangoes and limes. With the backing of the project, initially created in 2011 in partnership with Viçosa Federal University ('Universidade Federal de Viçosa' - UFV) and Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), two UFV researchers visited various Omani farmers and a number of research institutions this month to share the latest research and technology used in the cultivation of these fruits. The occurrence of fungi that cause mango wilt (Ceratocystis fimbriata) and witches' broom disease (Candidatus phytoplasma aurantifolia) in mango and mandarin-lime trees respectively had seriously affected the export of these products. The mandarin-lime, for example, was Oman's second biggest export in the 1970s.

Research into the decline in the cultivation of both products has been financed by Vale, allowing Omani researchers to visit Brazil to study local lime and mango production methods in order to boost their own production. Through Vale's work with SQU and UFV researchers in Oman and Brazil, the causes of these diseases have been studied to develop adequate strategies to control them. At the same time, research has also focused on recuperating Oman's agricultural areas and its ability to produce these items through the adoption of new farming techniques.

Dalmo Lopes de Siqueira, a professor with the UFV's Plant Science Department, gave a talk on mango and lime cultivation techniques in Brazil for Omani researchers and farmers who participated in a workshop this month at SQU produced by Professors Mike Deadman and Abdullah Al-Sa'di.

Vale in Oman

We opened our Middle Eastern office in Oman in December, 2007, with a view to expanding our presence in essential regional markets. Work began on construction of an industrial complex in Liwa in March 2009, consisting of a pelletizing plant with an annual capacity of nine million metric tons and a distribution centre with a through-put capacity of forty million metric tons. The complex was inaugurated in March 2012.