| Azaraimy HH & James Kon |
SINGAPORE Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Ministry of Education, Chee Hong Tat praised Brunei’s aquaculture industry during a visit to Golden Corporation Sdn Bhd’s Multi-purpose Marine Resources Processing and Business Centre in Serambangun, Tutong.
Chee is currently in the country alongside a delegation of senior Singapore government officials to discuss broadening cooperation and exploring investment opportunities in the fisheries and agriculture sectors between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore. Hosting the Singapore Senior Minister and his delegation during his visit to Golden Corporation were the company’s Managing Director Richard Chuang and Chief Executive Officer Desmond Lim.
In an interview, Chee said that Singapore and Brunei enjoy a longstanding relationship that has lasted many decades, adding that the purpose of his visit is to look for ways where both countries can expand collaborations in the fisheries and agriculture industries, as well as to build on the very strong mutual friendship forged by leaders of both countries over the years.
“Today, I am very happy to have the chance to visit Golden Corporation and better understand its business model and operations on how to manufacture aquaculture products of good quality such as fish and shrimp, which it processes and sells domestically as well as for export,” he said.
Besides running the Multi-purpose Marine Resources Processing and Business Centre, Golden Corporation Sdn Bhd – a leading producer of blue shrimp and seafood products in Brunei Darussalam – manages more than 100 hectares of shrimp farms and supplies aquatic feed to local farmers. The company also owns a number of high-tech fishing vessels.
The company has exported its shrimp to several ASEAN member countries, as well as to Japan, Korea, Australia, Taiwan, the United States, China and the European Union. The Singapore Senior Minister said he believes there is a lot of opportunity for collaborations in the area of aquaculture and seafood production between the two countries.
Besides Golden Corporation, Chee also visited a number of other industrial sites of interest, notably Tunas Harapan Agricultural Farm Sdn Bhd, where he was briefed by farm manager Low Ah Teck.
Accompanying the Singapore Senior Minister during the tour of the sites were Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) Dr Haji Abdul Manaf bin Haji Metussin, High Commissioner of the Republic of Singapore to Brunei Darussalam Lim Hong Huai, Singapore Deputy High Commissioner and Counsellor to Brunei Darussalam Raymond Chow and other officials.
The Singapore Senior Minister of State’s delegation comprised officials from the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry, including Director from Southeast Asia and Oceania Division Rossman Ithnain; Deputy Director for Southeast Asia Division Wu Hongyi; Senior Assistant Director/ASEAN and Oceania Foo Cher How; Assistant Director/ASEAN Organising Secretariat Koh Chun Hong; and Assistant Director/ASEAN Organising Secretariat Kenneth Teo.
Prior to the visits to the fisheries sites, the Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism paid a courtesy call on the Singapore Senior Minister at the Radisson Hotel to discuss bilateral cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.