Rising productivity and higher output from the processing segment is keeping Brunei Darussalam’s agriculture sector on track to meet the government’s medium- and long-term goals. Strong performance in most areas of the agriculture and agri-foods sector saw the industry’s revenue rise by 6.8% year-on-year (y-o-y) in the first quarter of the year to reach BN$97.1m ($71.2m), according to data issued…
With recent official forecasts of the Sultanate’s aquaculture sector turning into a BN$2bn ($1.4bn) industry, even as Brunei Darussalam continues to be one of South-east Asia’s top consumers of fish, the marine food sector looks set for major expansion in the years ahead. Aquaculture in particular dovetails with the Sultanate’s wider plans to boost its food processing industry, largely channelled…
In 2007-08, South-east Asia was hit by an unprecedented shortage of staple food products. A number of factors have been blamed for the disaster, including droughts, a surge in costs, low stockpiles, increasing demand from growing middle-class populations and speculation over commodity prices. In response, the governments of many countries in the region embarked on efforts to ensure that they would…
Interview:Dato Ali Apong How do you see the primary resources and tourism sectors playing a major role in the development and growth of the country’s economy? DATO ALI APONG: The Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) is committed to ensuring that the primary resources and tourism sectors or industries become significant contributors to the development and growth of the country’s…
In 2007-08 South-east Asia was hit by an unprecedented shortage of staple food products. A number of factors have been blamed for this event, including droughts, a surge in costs, low stockpiles, increasing demand from growing middle-class populations and speculation over commodity prices. In response, the governments of many countries in the region embarked on efforts to ensure that they would not…
Despite economic and legal changes now under way, Brunei Darussalam remains well positioned to continue on its current trajectory of steady economic growth and political stability. The increasing focus on economic diversification, and the ongoing growth of the non-energy sectors, bodes well for the Bruneian economy, as does further exploration and improved efficiency in the oil and gas industry. F
Onshore developments, including aquaculture and processing facilities, could help Brunei Darussalam unlock the potential of its burgeoning fisheries industry. The Sultanate is keen to overcome supply gaps and boost the sector’s contribution to GDP, particularly in the value-added segment, as part of a national drive to diversify the economy away from oil and gas. Maritime legacy A one-time maritime…
When a widespread shortage of basic foodstuffs occurred worldwide in early 2007 and 2008, global commodity prices for wheat, rice, corn and soybean roughly tripled within a matter of months. The results of these price spikes rippled around the world and led to social unrest, ranging from the hijacking of dozens of truckloads of UN humanitarian grain shipments in Africa to armed guards protecting rice…
Taking advantage of Brunei Darussalam’s core competencies, including its international reputation and an observant Islamic culture with strict adherence to halal standards, the country is looking to serve the growing global demand for sharia-compliant products by expanding its own stable of halal offerings. Derived from the Arabic word meaning permissible, halal is a term widely used to designate…
The country is currently in the midst of an ambitious agricultural reform campaign designed to ease the Sultanate’s heavy reliance on foreign imports by increasing domestic output of key commodities such as rice, fish, crops and livestock. Limited by a dearth of plantable land – just 1% of Brunei Darussalam’s already small land mass is gazetted for agricultural use – the agricultural, forestry…