Brunei: Strengthening Brunei’s export potential through agribusiness

• Feb 03, 2017

FIFTY agribusiness participants from both the government and private sectors received certificates of achievement yesterday at the closing ceremony of the Second Workshop on Facilitating Agribusiness Development in Brunei Darussalam.

Held at the Horticulture Business Centre, Rimba, the event saw the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, Dr Haji Abdul Manaf bin Haji Metussin, on hand to present the certificates, accompanied by the Australian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam, Nicola Rosenblum.

As stated in a press release from the Australian High Commission, the four-day workshop was made possible through the financial support of the Australia-Asean Council, the generous efforts of a team of experts from the University of Western Australia (UWA), and the cooperation of the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood, Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, Brunei Darussalam.

The workshop saw participants explore how to strengthen Brunei’s export potential and increase the contribution of the agribusiness sector to the national GDP, guided by a team of experts from the University of Western Australia – Professor Peter Batt, Dr Nazrul Islam and Dr Amin Mugera.

Sessions included how to exploit the value chain concept, what business models could work best in Brunei, and how to monitor and evaluate the performance of the chains.

Professor Peter Batt said, “Exploring the value chain concept has awakened the participants’ understanding of how external factors have a direct impact on business performance in both domestic and export markets.

“Everyone has come to realise that Brunei cannot be a low cost producer – it must differentiate – and to be internationally competitive, local farmers need access to the best technologies in the world,” he added. “This can be best achieved by finding innovative ways for both government and private sectors to co-invest.”

The press release also noted that the permanent secretary conveyed his deepest appreciation for the Australian Government’s support for the development of the local agribusiness sector through these workshops, whereby the Australian academics have made a valuable contribution to the sector and assisted to develop Brunei’s local capacity to increase Brunei’s export potential.

The programme was built on the outcomes of the First Workshop on Facilitating Agribusiness Development in Brunei Darussalam held in Bandar Seri Begawan in April 2016.

At yesterday’s closing ceremony, the Australian High Commissioner said the Australian Government, through the Australia-Asean Council, is pleased to have been able to support this week’s workshop.

“We are committed to enhancing awareness, understanding and links between people and institutions of Australia and Asean through support for such projects.”

She said Asean as a group is Australia’s second largest trading partner, and a “close neighbour and friend”, adding that “an investment in your economic development is an investment in Australia’s own future”.

“I commend the participants on their hard work and contributions to the discussions, and encourage them to now apply the knowledge and tools that Professor Batt, Dr Islam and Dr Mugera have shared to their work for the benefit of Brunei and the region.

“I hope that the conversations started during the past week, and over the past year, will continue long after the departure of the UWA team from Brunei,” she added. “There is great potential in the agriculture sector for ongoing cooperation and collaboration between Australia and Brunei. I trust that these workshops are just the beginning.

Source: http://borneobulletin.com.bn/strengthening-bruneis-export-potential-agribusiness/