Brunei Agriculture Dept Signs Pact With UK Firm On Agro Park

Brunei Agriculture Dept Signs Pact With
UK Firm On Agro Park

By Jon Tampoi

Bandar Seri
Begawan –
The Department of Agriculture, under the Ministry
of Industry and Primary Resources, yesterday signed an agreement on
the Agro Technology Park with SQW Consulting of the United Kingdom
at the Agriculture Department headquarters.

Signing on behalf of the Department
of Agriculture was Acting Senior Special Duties Officer Pengiran Hjh
Rosidah bte Pengiran Haji Metussin, while SQW Consulting was
represented by its director, Dr Kathrin Peters.

Also in attendance were Assistant
Director of the Department of Agriculture Kuang Sitim and Robert
Wootton of SQW Consulting.

Following the signing of the
agreement, Dr Peters presented a briefing on the project.

The 263-hectare Agro Technology
Park, located in Tungku, is one of the government’s initiatives to
diversify its economy.

SQW
Consulting will assist the Ministry of Industry and Primary
Resources in carrying out studies and providing recommendations on
the operational aspect of the park.

The scopes of the agreement extend
to the design of the park itself, the masterplan, and the
implementation of recommended commercial and institutional
frameworks.

The assignment is expected to last
between six and nine months.

Upon completion, the park will
create an exceptionally high-quality–landscaped environment for
international executives and their staff.

There will be opportunities for
occupants to have preferential access to knowledge and technological
services associated with Brunei Halal Brand.

The Brunei Halal Brand is committed
to the obligation of “Fardhu Kifayah”, with an effort to increase
the number of halal food in the market amid the emergence of a
variety of products containing non-halal ingredients.

The park will also attract research
and innovative technological applications with a particular focus on
sciencebased activities in agriculture, fisheries, and forestry.

One of the first anchor
developments will be a Halal Science Centre, a research institute
designed to become one of the main global hubs of excellence in
halal-related activities.

The park will also be a venue for a
Food Development Centre, to research on agricultural products.
— Courtesy of Borneo
Bulletin