| Azlan Othman |
A LAUNCHING ceremony was held yesterday at The Empire Hotel & Country Club, marking the start of operations for Saahtain Asia Sdn Bhd, which is a joint venture between Saahtain Group based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Brunei Government, through the Ministry of Finance.
The guest of honour was Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Setia Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Ibrahim, the Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Minister of Finance II.
During the launch, Adeel Khan, the Chief Executive Officer of Saahtain Sdn Bhd, said, “Brunei Darussalam’s natural advantages of political stability and peaceful environment were conducive in Saahtain Group – the producer of 100 per cent Halal, ready-to-eat meals – to locate its first venture abroad in Brunei Darussalam rather than at a number of other Southeast Asian countries.”
He added that various investment incentives provided by Brunei Darussalam also encouraged the company to set up operations in the Sultanate.
The launching of Saahtain Sdn Bhd also represemts another significant achievement for the Brunei Government, which is supported by the Foreign Direct Investment and Downstream Industry Steering Committee, to ensure an integrated and streamline effort towards the realisation of foreign direct investment projects in Brunei Darussalam.
Additionally, the Ease of Doing Business Steering Committee is actively driving reforms to ensure that the local business environment continues to be open, transparent, pro-business and pro-investment to help companies establish and grow their business in the country.
Saahtain Asia Sdn Bhd is currently promoting three brands: Al-Gourmet for general retail; The Food Pouch, for military-grade ration packs; and Tayyib, which is specifically produced for humanitarian aid purposes.
The company is currently supplying food packages to the Royal Brunei Police Force, and has the production capacity as a supplier for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. It also provides ‘ready-to-eat meals’ to foreign military personnel.
Approximately 85 per cent of these products are intended for export to markets across Asia. These food packages, produced with mostly locally sourced raw materials, have a shelf life of up to three years and meet global food safety standards, being Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certified.
Adding a further premium to these quality products, Saahtain Asia Sdn Bhd products are all Brunei Halal certified.
“We can produce 20,000 food packages a day at a rate of 50 packages per minute, through our pouch packaging machine,” said Khan, adding that a portion of the number of packages produced would go to countries in need of humanitarian aid.
These production numbers are in line with the company’s plans to expand its operations, create further spin-off opportunities for local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), while adding to the current 50 per cent of local employment provided by the manufacturing company based in Salambigar Industrial Park.
Also present at the launching ceremony were Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah, the Minister of Development; Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism; Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Mohamad Roselan bin Haji Mohamad Daud, the Deputy Minister (Corporate, PENGGERAK and Economy) at the PMO; Dato Paduka Awang Haji Jamain bin Haji Julaihi, the Deputy Minister (Energy and Industry) at the PMO; Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Hisham bin Haji Mohd Hanifah, the Deputy Minister of Finance (Fiscal); and Dato Seri Paduka Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, the Deputy Minister of Finance (Investment).
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