Friday, July 4, 2008
BRUNEIAN farmers could create a niche market overseas if they work harder on producing goods that stand out on grocery shelves rather than stick to farm items that are in abundance in countries with cheaper production costs.
"We should go into higher end agri products using the Bruneian identity," said Mohammad Sufri Abdullah, acting director of the Department of Agriculture yesterday. "We need to have more 'differentiated' products which would stand out from the agri products offered by countries such as Malaysia and Thailand."
Most products by Bruneian farmers are similar to those offered by the rest in the region, making competitiveness quite a challenge for local farmers, he explained.
"We are producing chicken eggs, so is Malaysia. You are talking about the cost of production of each egg here at 12 sen and in Malaysia at 10 sen. It is hard for our local farmers to be competitive," he said.
Bruneian could be more innovative by processing raw farm harvests into so-called differentiated products, Sufri said, such as mayonnaise, or low cholesterol mayonnaise.
"Differentiate your products at high value, the product would not be warranted to (sell at) cheaper prices but it's quality and standards ... The challenge is (to produce) what needs to be done to compete in the international market," he said.
Farmers interested in pursuing this option can avail themselves of consulting services offered agriculture department under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. There are also opportunities for them to attend workshops outside of Brunei.
"Some are also willing to go out there themselves and study the current technology available (that are) used in farming and be updated with new products in the international market," Sufri added.
He also advised local farmers to use Brunei's Halal initiative as a platform to strengthen their products.
"If your product is halal, it would be your strength if the Halal initiative does well. It would (realise) our plans to be different" and produce export champions, he said.
The Brunei Times
"We should go into higher end agri products using the Bruneian identity," said Mohammad Sufri Abdullah, acting director of the Department of Agriculture yesterday. "We need to have more 'differentiated' products which would stand out from the agri products offered by countries such as Malaysia and Thailand."
Most products by Bruneian farmers are similar to those offered by the rest in the region, making competitiveness quite a challenge for local farmers, he explained.
"We are producing chicken eggs, so is Malaysia. You are talking about the cost of production of each egg here at 12 sen and in Malaysia at 10 sen. It is hard for our local farmers to be competitive," he said.
Bruneian could be more innovative by processing raw farm harvests into so-called differentiated products, Sufri said, such as mayonnaise, or low cholesterol mayonnaise.
"Differentiate your products at high value, the product would not be warranted to (sell at) cheaper prices but it's quality and standards ... The challenge is (to produce) what needs to be done to compete in the international market," he said.
Farmers interested in pursuing this option can avail themselves of consulting services offered agriculture department under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. There are also opportunities for them to attend workshops outside of Brunei.
"Some are also willing to go out there themselves and study the current technology available (that are) used in farming and be updated with new products in the international market," Sufri added.
He also advised local farmers to use Brunei's Halal initiative as a platform to strengthen their products.
"If your product is halal, it would be your strength if the Halal initiative does well. It would (realise) our plans to be different" and produce export champions, he said.
The Brunei Times