Oman Wrestles with What Makes a Crop Strategic

Oman's wheat harvest in Dhofar Governorate has yielded around 8,000 tonnes from 6,408 feddans, but this is not enough to answer the question of what makes a crop strategic for Oman.

The government projected production of about 8,000 tonnes during the 2025/26 season, which is encouraging but also not sufficient on its own. To understand why wheat is considered a strategic crop, we need to look at the bigger picture.

In 2024/25, Oman produced 10,128 tonnes of wheat from 8,327 feddans, with an official market value of about RO 3.04 million. Dhofar supplied 7,723 tonnes, accounting for 76 per cent of national production.

A crop becomes strategic when disruption to its supply would create a serious national vulnerability and when domestic production can reduce that vulnerability at an acceptable cost. Wheat is a staple food that can be stored for long periods and feeds directly into flour and other essential foods.