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Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2021
To date, 80 entrepreneurs including 31 youth
have been offered sites under this pilot
project scheme, totalling over 469 hectares of
agricultural land.
Thirty-nine companies currently fall under the
pilot project scheme under the fruit industry,
which covers a total land area of 470.35 hectares
across Brunei. These companies produce various
kinds of seasonal and non-seasonal fruits.
As for the vegetable industry, a total land
area of 29 hectares have been occupied by 14
companies.
MPRT also organises programmes that explore
modern farming techniques such as hydroponics
and the greenhouse system to attract young
people and graduates to venture into modern
farming business.
Local farmers are encouraged to obtain the Brunei
Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certificate. The
Brunei GAP is a standard created based on the
ASEAN GAP, which focusses on food safety and
product quality.
The standard aims to ensure that all vegetable
and fruit produce in the country is safe to be
consumed and fulfils standards for export to the
international market.
The Brunei GAP farm certification programme
has been carried out by the Department of
Agriculture and Agrifood, MPRT since 2014.
Water well project
The Underground Water Well Project at Lot
Sengkuang Agricultural Development Area (KKP)
is expected to be capable of drawing 12m
3
of
water, which equates to 12,000 litres daily.
Carried out in three phases, the project is aimed
at providing irrigation to the nearby paddy
plantation. The water can be stored in tanks for
use during the dry season.
The project is carried out by MPRT through
the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood
with the collaboration of Preston Geocem (B).
Construction began on June 2, 2020 and was
completed on September 14, 2020.
The 300-hectare KKP Lot Sengkuang paddy
plantation is one of the major paddy plantation
fields in Brunei.
Speaking during a visit to KKP Lot Sengkuang in
Belait District in October 2020, the Minister of
Primary Resources and Tourism said the project
is an important step in realising His Majesty’s
vision in ensuring the nation’s food security.
“Having plenty of water to cultivate paddy is very
important, and there are challenges in acquiring
large and consistent amounts of water. Here in
Kampong Labi, we are successful in drawing
out the water that will be distributed across the
paddy plantation to enable them to plant high-
yield paddy twice a year, where previously it was
only possible once a year,” he said.
The minister said the well will ensure that paddy
plantation farmers are not just reliant on rainfall
to ensure a successful harvest.
He also expressed hopes that projects such as
these will be conducted at other plantations to
ensure an alternative and consistent source of
water that can result in a yield increase during
harvest.