Salinity in the well-water increased to such an extent in some areas that cultivation of the land became impossible. Urgent measures are being taken to bring this situation under control, and is dealt with further in the chapter on Water Resources . Dates are the major product of the cultivated areas in the Interior, in addition to other fruits and vegetables. In years of good rains corn is grown as well. In the south, on the coastal plain around Salalah, coconut palms are grown in place of date palms, which are not suited to the local climate.
Bananas thrive in quantity on the coastal plain, with papaya and other fruits.
Cattle fodder is also grown, but there are plans to transfer fodder cultivation to the inland side of the coastal range, in view of increasing pressure on water resources on the coastal plain. This will not only profit the local population, but also relieve the pressure on the grazing lands. This pressure has been building up recently, not only due to overstockiny with cattle, but also to the grazing habits of camels, of which there are a large number on these lands. Camels not only graze on the pastures, but destroy them by consuming the roots of the grasses as well. The Sultanate is now the leading livestock producer in the Gulf region, with half a million head of cattle, goats, sheep and camels.