Brunei : Brunei Darussalam Agriculture Prfile

For the 8th National Development Plan (2001 -2005),

The Agriculture Department is targeting $35 million for vegetable production, $20 million for fruits, $69.60 million for broiler, $14.50 million for eggs, $0.13 million for cut flowers, $15 million for ornamental plants and $1.18 million for rice.

The agriculture sector's contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has shown an increasing trend in the completed 11 years.

From 1993 - 2003, the agriculture sector's contribution to the Gross Domestic Product rose by 180.7 % from $124.7 million in 1993.

In fact the contribution of the agriculture sector to the GDP in comparison to non-oil and gas sector increased from 3.1 % to 3.7 %.

However, despite an encouraging trend in the local production of eggs and broiler, the country has from presently on to achieve selfsufficiency in the production of meat, rice and fresh milk.

Last year's statistics revealed that Brunei completed 100 % self-sufficiency in egg production, while broiler recorded 94 % sufficiency last year.

Vegetable and ornamental plants recorded local production levels of over 50 %, the Agriculture Department's statistics on agricultural production revealed.

However, the country is still far from achieving selfsufficiency in beef, rice, mutton and fresh milk production, which recorded local production percentages of 4 %, 1.8 % and 17.7 % respectively.

Meanwhile, the department's statistics indicated that broiler, vegetable, chicken egg and fruits showed an increase in local production ranging from 1.6 % to 7.9 % compared to 2002.

The local production of rice showed a dramatic jump of nearly 50 % compared to 2002. However four commodities reported a contraction last year compared to 2002, namely, 6 % for miscellaneous crops, 14.5 % for fresh milk, 15 .1 % for beef to 42.6 % for mutton.

The in general price of all the 10 agricultural commodities last year was $ 120.16 million compared to B$114.56 million in 2002. It is an increase of almost 5 %.

In terms of production (retail price) last year, broiler recorded the highest with $63.3 million. It was followed by vegetable production at $25 million, while the imports were around $10 million.

Next came eggs with production amounting to $17.22 million- no imports were recorded last year. As for fruits, the production was valued at almost $9.3 million, while the imports totalled $20.80 million.

The production (retail price) for rice last year stood at $1. 64 million, while the imports stood at $31.4 million.

The Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and the Faculty of Business, Economics and Policy Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam has entered into an agreement to conduct research in the area of multifunctionality of agriculture in Brunei.

The initial project under the agreement is the production of a book that explains the importance of multi-functionality of agriculture in Brunei to the non-technical reader.

The objective of the project is to assess the extent of multifunctionality in Brunei agriculture and identify policy initiatives for Brunei.

Proposed subsequent collaborative projects include the quantification of the multifunctional benefits of agriculture in Brunei and investigations into agricultural policy issues.

The team "Multifunctional Agriculture" has come into use in environmental, agricultural and international trade circles.

Multi-functionality is intended to invite attention to the positive benefits that agriculture can produce besides the food and fibre that is sold at the market. These benefits can be categorised into five sections - economic, social, cultural, and environmental and food security.

The conceptual framework of multi-functionality recognises the importance of vitality of rural communities, strong local economies and the continued health of rural culture in positively contributing to the well being of the society.

The term "multifunctional agriculture" received its initial wide exposure in 1998, at the same time as Japan and the European Union (EU) used the term to describe the social and environmental benefits that agriculture can produce.

These and other nations have given substantial support to agriculture based on small family farms, local economies, and local food traditions.

These policies support farms that are closely integrated into their local economies, both as producers and as consumers of good and services from local areas.

The concept of multifunctional agriculture is one way that nations have begun to address the non-trade concerns like long-term food security, rural viability, cultural heritage, land conservation, agricultural landscape and agri-biological diversity.

The book will include an explanation of the different dimensions of multi-functionality. It as well develops an analytical framework for assessing the multi-functionality of Brunei agriculture and gives an overview of international experience to derive lessons for Brunei.

It as well examines multi-functionality in selected disaggregated sectors within the Brunei agriculture sector and examines community perceptions of multi-functionality.

While in Brunei agriculture sector is small, constituting only about 2 % of the current GDP, the level of selfsufficiency completed in the poultry sector demonstrates an significant aspect of food security against the backdrop of bird flu in neighbouring Asian nations.

A lot of environmental and agricultural scientists have been consistently identifying negative externalities in conventional agriculture in term of pollution and contamination of water, land and air.

Scientists are as well voicing alarming concern with the release of genetically modified foods and crops with no long-term research studies on safety. All these world developments in agriculture have further enhanced the importance of multi-functionality in all of its dimensions for Brunei.

The project will attempt to identify and assess the extent of multi -functionality of Brunei agriculture will a view to developing policy initiatives.

Fisheries have been identified as one of the sectors that can contribute to the Government's plan for economic diversification.

Brunei Darussalam still had to import about 50 % of its fish requirements to supplement local production.

The per capita fish consumption of around 45kg per year is one of the highest in the region. The Fisheries is implementing several projects under the current National Development Plan.

To include developing deep-sea fisheries, increasing the production of small-scale fishermen, assisting programmes of commercial operators, developing potential species for export and improving the storage and distribution centre.

To ensure the sustainability of the fisheries resources, the Government is only allowing the exploitation of up to 20,000 metric tones of fish per year at "Maximum Economic Yield" (MEY), which is estimated to be worth B$112 million per year.

An extra fast developing industry in the country is Aquaculture. It by presently has a high market request for its products making it a promising industry.

Major activities in the Aquaculture industry are the cage culture of marine fish and pond culture of marine shrimp.

The government has established various facilities to promote facilitate and sustains the development of the industry so that it can play a crucial role in attaining the target, which is diversification into the food industry.

The current in general estimated price of the contribution from the fisheries sector to the GDP is about B$200 million per year.

It is hope that with the active involvement of the private sectors, together with the technical back up and facilitation from the Fisheries department in developing the identified areas, the country will realise its B$200 million objective.

The Fisheries Department since its establishment in 1966 has been tasked to oversee the development of the industry while assisting entrepreneurs to increased their production for local inclunding for export markets.

Several developmental projects have been planned and embarked to increase the production inclunding exploiting various market niches. --Courtesy of Brunei Year Book