DHAKA - Bangladesh says Oman wants 10,000 agricultural and fisheries workers from the country, with recruitment details still to be finalised.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam said on Sept. 9 that Oman had expressed interest in recruiting 5,000 agricultural workers and 5,000 fisheries workers from Bangladesh.
She said an agreement had been signed and that Omani government representatives were expected to visit Bangladesh in October 2026 to discuss the arrangements with the relevant ministry and finalise recruitment details, according to a Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha report.
The announcement follows an earlier movement on agricultural recruitment. The Oman Observer reported in August that the Al Dhahirah branch of the Omani Agricultural Association had opened an application window for registered Omani farmers seeking to recruit Bangladeshi agricultural workers.
The newspaper said the programme had approvals from Oman’s Ministry of Labour and Royal Oman Police. It also quoted a Sanad office owner as saying an allocation of 5,000 Bangladeshi agricultural workers had been approved for recruitment through agricultural associations across Oman.
Broader recruitment details under the latest Bangladesh-Oman discussions are expected to be settled during the anticipated October visit.
Visa access also remains an important issue. Oman imposed broad restrictions on Bangladeshi nationals in 2023 before easing them for several visa categories in June 2024, including certain family, visitor and professional visas. At the time, work-visa restrictions remained under review.
Shama said this week that visa access for Bangladeshis remained restricted and that Dhaka was continuing diplomatic efforts over the issue.
“During their visit, they will hold discussions with the relevant ministry to finalise the details,” BSS quoted her as saying.
