Thailand, Brunei move closer on joint food production

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, BRUNEI : Thailand and Brunei will sign a memorandum of understanding on agricultural cooperation, the first of its kind between the two countries, this year.

Thai ambassador to Brunei Apichart Phetcharatana said the MoU is nearly completed and Brunei will invite Thailand's agriculture and cooperatives minister to sign the document in Brunei.

Mr Apichart said officials from the two countries began drafting the MoU last year following the 2035 Wawasan Brunei development plan, a national vision programme initiated by Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah.

Mr Apichart said the sultan is extremely concerned about the sustainability of his country's oil and gas industry. Under the Wawasan Brunei 2035 plan launched in January 2008, he is seeking to reduce the country's reliance on fossil fuels and to develop a more diverse economy.

Brunei plans to transform itself over the next two decades from a country almost wholly dependent on the oil and gas sector into one involved with regional trading, alternative energy, food security and agriculture, he said.

Mr Apichart said Thailand had experience in agriculture and sells about 32,000 tonnes of rice to Brunei each year. More than 90% of that is jasmine rice. Thailand also exports durians and mangoes to Brunei. The country should use this opportunity to cooperate with Brunei under the framework of agricultural cooperation.

Mr Apichart said Thailand also recognised that Brunei's halal food production was internationally known. Thailand saw an opportunity to expand cooperation in halal food production with Brunei.

He said a group of Brunei officials last year travelled to Thailand to meet Thai businessmen and university academics at Chulalongkorn University's Central Laboratory and Scientific Information Centre for Halal Food Development.

Over the next few weeks, Mr Apichart said, Brunei's Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources permanent-secretary will a delegation to Thailand to monitor the progress of Thai-Bruneian halal food production. Under the joint cooperation initiative, Brunei can make use of Thailand's agricultural and personal resources while Thailand can benefit from Brunei's status as one of the world's major producers of halal food.

He said Thailand and Brunei would also sign another MoU on halal food production investment soon if any progress is made in the cooperative effort.

Under the Wawasan Brunei 2035 plan, many countries, including Singapore, Japan and South Korea, are also considering opportunities to do business with Brunei, he said.

Dipetik dari - Bangkok Post