| Azlan Othman |
LEGISLATIVE Council (LegCo) members approved a motion to revive the Young Farmers Programme conducted several years ago in Kampong Jerudong with new approaches not only in the Brunei-Muara District, but also in the four districts as suggested by LegCo member Yang Berhormat Haji Mohimin bin Haji Johari@Jahari at the 11th day of the 15th LegCo meeting on Saturday.
Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali bin Haji Apong in his deliberation regarding the programme said youth are the ministry’s main target in realising the vision and mission to increase the output of the agriculture and fishery sector in the country and contribute to GDP growth and to the diversification of the country’s economic activities.
This was clearly seen by the LegCo members’ visits to the Communal Farm in Tungku, Kilanas and Sungai Liang and Agricultural Development Area (KKP) Sinaut in the previous year, where the involvement of the young people was very impressive.
Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali said originally, the programme was introduced by the Department of Agriculture, which was then under the Ministry of Development. “According to our records, this project was introduced in 1976, or 43 years ago, and ended in 1985, or over 34 years ago.”
It involves eight recruitments, with the number of students attending the Young Farmers Course totalling 130. Participants attended a two-year agricultural course at Sinaut Agricultural Training Centre in the Tutong District.
After completion of the Young Farmers Course, a number of students interested in agricultural activities have participated in the Young Farmers Placement Project. Thirty former students managed the company at the Young Farmers Placement whereby 18 farmers were stationed at Luahan area in Jerudong and 12 farmers in Birau, Tutong.
Each participant of the programme is provided a 10-acre piece of land without paying rent, and a home for free, and a monthly allowance of approximately BND400.
However, the allowance was stopped on May 1, 1986. Some former students opted to enter the Department of Agriculture, while others withdrew from joining the project. Based on information monitored by the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood from 2013-2018, it was found that most of them were engaged in small-scale vegetable production companies and conventional methods.
Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali also highlighted the initiatives made by his ministry since two years ago.
The first initiative is the Agricultural Exposure Programme for Youth, including former students of tertiary education from within and outside the country. This programme includes briefing sessions on entrepreneurship opportunities in agriculture, financial simulations or financial flows analysis of several types of agricultural enterprises, guidelines to register agricultural sites, procedures for registering companies and business names and opportunities to sell crops, especially through contract farming; and a tour to expose participants to agricultural systems and technology and visits to successful youth farms, such as Marsya Farm and Ameenfarm Agrotech and Trading.
Thirty youth have participated in the programme, where two have been offered sites under the Agricultural Pilot Project.
A youth was offered a site at KKP Batumpu (Azim Agro Farm) for vegetable plantation, and another at KKP Tungku (Assmah Farm) for melon using a greenhouse fertigation system.
The second initiative, according to Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali is the Agricultural Pilot Project. “Alhamdulillah, with the consent of 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, the offering of site for the pioneer project was introduced aimed at providing opportunities for entrepreneurs or farmers, including youth interested in exploring agriculture on a trial basis.”
They will be offered a site that is suitable within a two-year trial, and if the operators perform very well, the site size can be increased, and the tenure of the land may be extended to an appropriate period.
Since the Agricultural Pilot Project was introduced during the two years, 46 entrepreneurs have been offered sites under this scheme involving over 290 hectares of agricultural land. Of these, 16 are young entrepreneurs, out of whom two young entrepreneurs are working on sites at KKP Sinaut namely Mori Enterprise in herbs and Nature Fruit Farm engaged in fruit plantation, such as dragon fruit, passion fruit, durian, soursop (durian salat), jackfruit, banana and others.
A young entrepreneur is involved in farming at KKP Batang Mitus, namely the Green Technology Farm in a banana plantation.
Two young entrepreneurs are working on sites in KKP Labu namely Wina Wiya Enterprise and ODE Aquaculture & Agriculture Company in fruit plantation, such as durian, longan, mango, jackfruit, rambutan and others.
Another young entrepreneur is operating at KKP Bekarut namely Eco-Agro Farm in durian plantation while four young entrepreneurs are working on sites at KKP Tungku, namely Teratak Jaya Enterprise to grow vegetable using fertigation and hydroponic systems; Assmah Farm and Gropoint Sdn Bhd in melon plantation using a fertigation system inside the greenhouse; and CF Arsyad Farm in melon plantation.
A company is operating a site in KKP Kilanas, namely RZ Prisma Enterprise in vegetable crops using a fertigation and hydroponic system. Two young entrepreneurs are working on sites at KKP Batumpu, namely Abdul Aziz Agro Farm in a vegetable plantation using fertigation systems; and Golsyne Enterprise in fruit plantation.
A young entrepreneur is operating at KKP Sibongkok, which is Haqasha Jaya Farming Sdn Bhd in a vegetable plantation. Another young entrepreneur at KKP Sungai Liang namely Kitani Enterprise is engaged in vegetable plantation while a company operates a site at KKP Lumapas namely KMB Sdn Bhd in a vegetable and melons plantations using a fertigation system, where one of the company’s partners is a youth.
Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali also highlighted the third initiative which is Contract Farming. This programme is introduced to ensure that farmers are able to sell their produce through long-term contracts with hypermarkets and wholesalers in the country, even with exporters.
Since the programme was introduced in the past two years, 11 companies (Sinar Tenaga Sdn Bhd; Assmah Farm; Bioprop Sdn Bhd; RZ Prisma Enterprise; Ameen Farm Agrotech & Trading; Riverland Enterprise; Naaz Hanan; Sykt Hj Salleh bin Hj Ludin & Anak Anak; Marsya Farm; Abdul Aziz Agrofarm and Mori Enterprise have contract farming in the initial stage with local supermarkets (Hua Ho; Supa Save; Sim Kim Huat; and Farmgate) to supply various high-value vegetables such as tomato, chilli, lettuce and salad leaves.
Three of these companies – Assmah Farm; Abdul Aziz Agrofarm and Mori- are managed by youth.
Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali also highlighted the fourth initiative which is the Enterprise Expansion Programme. This initiative was introduced in the form of an additional offering of sites to farmers who successfully worked on the sites they had been offered to increase their productivity and to contribute to GDP growth of the agriculture sector.
Since the programme was introduced in the two years, 15 entrepreneurs have been offered additional sites to expand their company and increase their farm produce, including a young entrepreneur (Mori Enterprise) who is working on herbs at KKP Sinaut.
Meanwhile, six other companies (Riza Fudhlana Farm, Asia Enterprise, Loong Ji Sdn Bhd, ODE Aquaculture & Agriculture Sdn Bhd, Hj Salleh bin Hj Ludin & Anak Anak and RZ Prisma Enterprise) are also offered additional sites and have got their children involved in the management of the companies.
The fifth initiative, according to Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali, is to introduce simple and cheap farming techniques including for low-income groups, youth who are waiting for jobs and single mothers.
The ministry has also embarked on introducing easy and cheap agricultural techniques to other agencies, including the Ministry of Religious Affairs; Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports; and the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, which is for the use of the assistance applicants under their respective jurisdiction. Six people were introduced with simple and inexpensive agricultural techniques.
The sixth initiative is the Substitution Import Programme. This initiative is still in the final study stage.
It is a match-making between supermarkets, wholesalers, restaurant operators, and hotels with local farmers. The objective is to make supermarkets, wholesalers, restaurant operators and hotels to buy their vegetable and fruit from local farmers, especially for crops that can be cultivated in the country like tomatoes, chilies, salads, mushrooms, melons and others.
In this way, farmers will be able to further increase their output, and thus hopefully reduce the import of the goods.
Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Ali also highlighted the seventh initiative which is to introduce an account manager system, by arranging each agricultural officer to accompany a number of farmers, including young or youth farmers, while monitoring their development and their problems.
Each account manager will assist in solving the problem of farmers under their care, such as infrastructure problems, problems with labour, fertiliser, crop disease, floods, market access, importing of materials and so on. For example, in the livestock industry (broiler and ruminant), four account managers have been appointed to assist 16 entrepreneurs in the industry. Some companies monitored by several young farmers are Ideal Multifeed Farm; Riza Fudhlana Farm, Brugoat, and Hua Ho Agricultural Farm.
In the vegetable industry, 11 account managers have been appointed to assist 39 entrepreneurs, involving 138 hectares of vegetable crops. This includes several companies involving young people such as Kitani Enterprise; Mori Enterprise and Teratak Jaya Company.
In the fruit industry, 12 account managers have been appointed to assist 33 entrepreneurs, involving 520 hectares of fruit plantations. These include several companies involving young people (such as KMB Sdn Bhd; Gropoint Sdn Bhd; ODE Aquaculture and Agriculture; Green Technology Farm and CF Arsyad).
The minister said, “We have seen over the last two years, a growth in the involvement of young people in the field of agriculture, although without encouragement in the form of free accommodation and without a monthly allowance from the government. They are also willing to pay rent for land just like other farmers.
“Till today, 113 young people are actively involved in agriculture. Twenty-five people are actively involved in the vegetable cultivation industry; 13 people in the fruit plantation; 26 are active in the paddy industry; four are active in flower and ornamental plants; 16 people are active in the livestock industry and 29 people are active in the agrifood industry.”