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Agriculture
AIMING FOR SELF-SUFFICIENCY
Daniel Lim & Lyna Mohamad
Photo by Daniel Lim
The nation’s agriculture and agrifood sector is
a major contributor among the three primary
resources sectors, which is 50 per cent from
the overall contribution of BND181.2 million in
2019 while the agrifood industry also plays a
vital role in the agricultural supply network
particularly in the department’s effort to
increase farm production for agricultural
based processed food.
To date, the number of entrepreneurs
involved in this sector comprising farming,
livestock and agrifood for the agriculture
base food process has seen a positive rise,
which is vital to secure the nation’s food
security apart from contributing towards the
diversification of the economy.
Overall, the plantation industry grew at
the average of 0.24 per cent from 2015 to
2019. Last year the gross production of the
industry recorded BND58.41 million, which
is made up of BND26.34 million (45.1 per
cent) vegetables, BND20.29 million (34.7
per cent) from fruit industry, BND4.41 million
(7.6 per cent) from floriculture and BND3.67
million (6.3 per cent) production of several
plantations.
Several initiatives have, currently and will
be implemented by the Department of Ag-
riculture and Agrifood (DAA) to increase the
farming commodity local production which
amongst all pilot project, expansion pro-
gramme, contract farming andmarket match-
ing for local and export market facilitation.
Several other programmes have also
been introduced and currently implemented
amongst all increasing of metric productivity
per hectare annually and opening of new
sites, Capacity Development Programme,
Brunei Good Agricultural Practices (BGAP)
and Organic Farming Programme.
These programmes serve to upgrade
self-sufficiency for local production ability to
secure food securities, which will in the future
be targetted to be value-added products and
for the export market.
The pilot project is an initiative of offering
farm sites for local entrepreneurs to work
on for a trial period of two years to provide
DAA is working on producing Titih paddy seeds that
have a potential to higher production of eight metric
tonnes per hectare per season and this is scheduled
to start by the end of this year.
opportunities for entrepreneurs including
youth with interest to venture into the field of
agriculture.
Since its launching in 2016 until May 2020,
the pilot project has seen 71 entrepreneurs
offered for the operating of sites involving
more than 435.45 hectares of agriculture
land, where 22 of the entrepreneurs are youth
entrepreneurs.
Under
the
Enterprise
Expansion
Programme that serves to further increase
entrepreneurs’ production and profit and
contribute towards the gross domestic
growth of the agriculture sector, a total of
28 entrepreneurs have been offered for site
expansions.
The Contract Farming programme is
done to ensure that the local entrepreneurs’
production will be able for permanent and
continuous sale and purchase and aside from
sale in the local market, it is also targetted for
export abroad.
In the agriculture sector, to date a total of
44 companies have worked on farms through
contract farming for the supply of several
high value vegetables at local departmental
stores and in this regard, DAA also encourages
all entrepreneurs to focus on high yield
production, selection of livestock breeds and
variety quality and high value farm products
as well as plantation that has a market niche
and medicinal/functional plants.
Continue to page 24
Borneo Bulletin, Wednesday July 15, 2020
Royal Birthday SPECIAL