Omanis are to be encouraged to support the local economy through a new campaign that aims to raise awareness of the range and quality of domestically produced goods, to boost employment and cut the country’s burgeoning import bill.
Spearheaded by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (PEIE), the Origin Oman campaign replaces the National Product Promotion Campaign, which since 1997, has been run to help Omanis identify locally produced goods.
Origin Oman is mainly about educating consumers as to the availability of Oman-made products and services, and making them aware of the success local manufacturers and service providers are enjoying in the international markets, thereby encouraging people to think, buy and eat local.
If successful in boosting sales of domestically produced items, the campaign would contribute to lowering the sultanate’s import bill. With the Omani rial still pegged to the slumping US dollar, the cost of imported goods has skyrocketed and has been pinpointed as one of the leading contributors to inflation in 2007, which came in at 5.3%, having hit a 16-year high of 7% in September.
Other themes that will be developed through the campaign include an environmental angle, highlighting the fact that buying local means goods do not have to be transported long distances, cutting carbon emissions, and helping to promote employment among Oman’s growing young population.
Source: Oxford Business Group Reports
