| Daniel Lim |
LEGISLATIVE Council (LegCo) members visited four agricultural sites in Belait District yesterday, a follow-up of a similar visit to agricultural sites across the Brunei-Muara District earlier last week.
Organised by the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT), the trip was made to update LegCo members on the latest developments in agricultural entrepreneurship in the Belait District and view the developments firsthand.
The delegation was accompanied by Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, Permanent Secretary at the MPRT Pengiran Haji Kamalrudzaman bin Pengiran Haji Mohd Ishak, Director of Agriculture and Agrifood and senior officers from the MPRT and the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood.
The group set off for the Agricultural Development Area (KKP) in Rampayoh, Mukim Labi from the Tropical Biodiversity Centre in Sungai Liang.
Welcoming the delegation to the KKP was owner of Syarikat Pertanian Tropikal Utama and operator of the KKP Yong Khian Fook.
The group toured the 19-hectare site, of which 10 plots are allotted for coffee cultivation.
Established in 1995, the company has since expanded its expertise to efficiently harvest the seeds from the coffee plants. It produced 16.07 metric tonnes of coffee in 2017 and 6.44 metric tonnes in 2018, all with a total workforce of just five employees.
The group then visited Syarikat Norajijah Plantation Sdn Bhd located at the KKP Merangking; both seasonal and non-seasonal fruits are cultivated at the 20-hectare farm. The company harvested a record total of 1.7 metric tonnes of fruits, vegetables and various other produce in 2018.
Next up in the group’s visit itinerary was Asia Enterprise (AE), a local company also situated at Merangking KKP.
The farm, which began operations in January 2017, cultivates various fruits over a 40-hectare plot of land split into two separate sites.
It produced 1.73 metric tonnes of fruits in 2017, following up this haul with 3.83 metric tonnes in 2018.
The delegation made its final stop at the Kandol Paddy Plantation project located at the Kandol area.
The 500-hectare site, officially opened by His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam in November last year, is currently being fitted with various irrigation infrastructure and other farming technologies.
The enhancements are part of an initiative by His Majesty’s Government to prop up Brunei’s agriculture sector and boost national rice production and rice self-sufficiency, to ensure the country’s food security.
Using a high-yield hybrid rice variety known as Titih, the site will be able to produce a minimum of eight metric tonnes of paddy per hectare per season, with the yearly output from the Kandol area estimated to be around 8,000 metric tonnes, which equates to roughly 4,800 metric tonnes of rice.
Following their visits, the delegation gathered at the Tropical Biodiversity Centre to brainstorm ideas on how to further improve and advance the country’s agriculture and fisheries sector.