Agriculture Dept clarifies

WITH reference to the article "Agriculture posts $12m output increase in 2007" published in The Brunei Times on January 3, 2008, the Department of Agriculture would like to make some clarifications which are as follows:

1. Brunei has posted an increase of $12 million worth of production in the livestock and fruits industries from January to September compared to the same period in 2006, said Hjh Normah Suria Hayati PJDSM Dato Seri Utama (Dr) Hj Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri. It should have been the increase of $12 million in 2007 compared to the same period in 2006 is the production from livestock and crops sectors, and not fruits industry as stated.

2."There is a 98 to 100 per cent production increase in these two areas," she said, adding that she is pleased with the progress thus far. The Agriculture Department said that there is only an 11.5 per cent increase in the production of livestock and crop sectors for the period of January to September 2007 compared to the same period in 2006, not 98 or 100 per cent as written. The figure stated by the report about the 98 to 100 per cent increase is for the achievement of self-sufficiency in the production of chicken meat and table eggs.

3. The caption for the picture which stated "MIPR is aiming for a target of $4.5 billion worth of output from agricultural products by 2023", should have read "The $4.5 billion worth of output by 2023 is the target of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources as a whole, whereas the agricultural output target is only $2.7 billion by 2023."

The Brunei Times