$500m paid capital must for Islamic banking business
New laws: Hjh Nurliati Hj Md Idris (C), talks about the Takaful Order 2008 during a briefing session held at the Ministry of Finance yesterday. Picture: BT/Saifulizam
UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, December 7, 2008
UNDER the new Islamic Banking Order 2008, a minimum paid capital of $500 million is required for a foreign head office as one of the criterion for granting and refusing licences to carry out an Islamic banking business in Brunei.
This was disclosed yesterday during a briefing session on the two new orders, Islamic Banking Order 2008 and Takaful Order 2008, held yesterday at the theatre hall of the Ministry of Finance, where the main highlights were explained by a panel of officers from the Financial Institutions Division (FID).
When compared to regulations on conventional banking and insurance systems, the two Orders were found to be quite similar to pre-existing legislation for normal banks and insurance.
Differences include the above criteria for granting and refusing license to carry out Islamic banking business in Brunei, which under the Banking Order 2006, the requirement is $1 billion.
Another difference stated was that the new Orders ensured that products and services were Syariah-compliant. Under the Takaful Order 2008, any product had to be approved by the Syariah Financial Supervisory Board before it can be deemed as a takaful product.
In light of the "uncertain financial environment", the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Finance yesterday urged senior corporate citizens to play their part in ensuring the financial stability and orderly running of the financial system, with regards to the recent introduction of the two new Orders.
Dato Paduka Hj Ali Apong told representatives of Islamic banks and Takaful operators that alongside the ministry's efforts, relevant financial institutions should take their own initiative and avoid simply waiting for instructions from the government on what to do.
"It is in your best interest that our financial sector continues to remain sustainably stable," he said.
"I urge you to hold more and regular discussions amongst yourselves, with regulators to encourage fruitful exchange of views and perspectives on the best way forward."
He reminded them of the need to comply with the regulations and requirements of the ministry and to be equally, if not more, proactive and responsible. He made these statements as the guest of honour at the briefing session yesterday.
The introduction of the new regulation was seen as another impetus to the regulations in the industry.
The permanent secretary said that it was the ministry's aim to expand the Islamic banking sector in Brunei through creating a level playing field for conventional and Islamic banks.
With the Takaful Order 2008, this new legislation hoped to provide a platform for takaful operators to compete more easily with conventional insurers.
It was hoped that with the introduction of the new Orders, Islamic banking, insurance and the takaful sector in Brunei would expand and be developed with new products launched within the regional and global arena. (ODM1)
The Brunei Times
Showing posts with label economic diversification. Show all posts
Showing posts with label economic diversification. Show all posts
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Key to achieving economies of scale to reduce costs, compete globally
Cooperate, advice to shrimp farmers
UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Key to achieving economies of scale to reduce costs, compete globally
SHRIMP farmers must cooperate to reduce fragmentation and improve the efficiency of the industry in order to expand and reach economies of scale, said the director of the Fisheries Department.
Hjh Hasnah Ibrahim made the call to local shrimp culture operators yesterday in response to the article, "Realising potential of local shrimp industry," published by The Brunei Times on November 8, 2008.
For local farmers to compete in the global shrimp farming sector, it is necessary for farmers to implement a profitable production model based on a niche product that commands premium prices, the director said in a letter to The Brunei Times.
"They must also implement more efficient production technologies that reduce costs and leverage (on) the strengths of Brunei: a well educated and bilingual workforce, excellent infrastructure and low energy costs," she added.
The Fisheries Department acknowledged the causes of the competitive disadvantages faced by the country's shrimp farmers was the switch in production of Rostris (Litopenaeus stylirostris) from a similar shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, but said that there were other factors involved which needed to be considered.
With most of the world shrimp farmers opting for the vannamei, this particular shrimp has become a low-price commodity as result of oversupply and disproportionate drop in price for the small-sized shrimp. Therefore, only low-cost producers were willing to produce large volumes, while experiencing thin profit margins so that they were able to compete in the market via the vannamei.
"This is not a good fit for Brunei," Hjh Hasnah said.
According to the department, Brunei produced less than 1,000 tonnes of shrimp annually, equivalent to less than one per cent of shrimp production of many competing countries. The director said that the lack of economies of scale in the local industry resulted in higher costs of feed and post-larvae.
She went on to say that although Brunei enjoyed lower energy costs than most competing countries, this only made up a small component of the overall operating costs.
Due to underlying factors such as high labour costs, the key issue still remained: "Brunei has higher costs of production than other shrimp farming countries in the region".
As these difficulties have grown, Brunei shrimp farmers have "retreated" from the highly competitive export markets and focused more on the local markets, which have also succumbed to the threat of vannamei, as more of this cheaper variety of shrimp are being imported into Brunei.
The department felt that the answer to the problem was not competing "head-on" with the low-priced commodity but, rather, to restructure the farming sector to reduce costs and generate high-value products.
In this effort, the Fisheries Department in a three-year agreement with US company, Integrated Aquaculture International (IAI), implemented plans to introduce the black tiger shrimp over the past two years. The shrimp, which is also known as the Penaeus monodon, could grow to a much larger size than the other two types of shrimp and could command higher prices in international markets.
However, the monodon had to be selectively bred over several shrimp generations to combat their susceptibility to disease and thus, generating a specific pathogen free (SPF) stock.
The director said that the programme was well under way and the F2 generation of SPF monodon has already been developed.
With the plans to build the Telisai Phase II farm expansion, Brunei's shrimp production could see an increase to 2,000 metric tonnes per year.
This target productivity could achieve the required economies of scale in feed, post-larvae, processing and marketing, the director said.
Apart from their cooperation in developing SPF shrimp, IAI also worked with the department in genetically-improved post-larvae, high-performing feeds, and sustainable farming systems and techniques aimed to produce quality shrimp for premium markets.
"We are hopeful that the new business model will grow, prosper and lead to other high-value spin-offs that will benefit Brunei for years to come," said Hjh Hasnah.
In an interview with a local shrimp farmer, Hj Nasrul Hakim Hj Othman of S Kota Sdn Bhd told The Brunei Times that at present, there was no particular organisation which unites the 13 local shrimp culturers.
However, he said that, under their own initiative, the farmers did meet and work together to collect data and discuss issues faced by the farmers to present to the Fisheries Department.
Hj Nasrul Hakim welcomed the formation of such an organisation but wished the department would emphasise the idea to all the farmers directly on the significance of this cooperation.
The Brunei Times
UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Key to achieving economies of scale to reduce costs, compete globally
SHRIMP farmers must cooperate to reduce fragmentation and improve the efficiency of the industry in order to expand and reach economies of scale, said the director of the Fisheries Department.
Hjh Hasnah Ibrahim made the call to local shrimp culture operators yesterday in response to the article, "Realising potential of local shrimp industry," published by The Brunei Times on November 8, 2008.
For local farmers to compete in the global shrimp farming sector, it is necessary for farmers to implement a profitable production model based on a niche product that commands premium prices, the director said in a letter to The Brunei Times.
"They must also implement more efficient production technologies that reduce costs and leverage (on) the strengths of Brunei: a well educated and bilingual workforce, excellent infrastructure and low energy costs," she added.
The Fisheries Department acknowledged the causes of the competitive disadvantages faced by the country's shrimp farmers was the switch in production of Rostris (Litopenaeus stylirostris) from a similar shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, but said that there were other factors involved which needed to be considered.
With most of the world shrimp farmers opting for the vannamei, this particular shrimp has become a low-price commodity as result of oversupply and disproportionate drop in price for the small-sized shrimp. Therefore, only low-cost producers were willing to produce large volumes, while experiencing thin profit margins so that they were able to compete in the market via the vannamei.
"This is not a good fit for Brunei," Hjh Hasnah said.
According to the department, Brunei produced less than 1,000 tonnes of shrimp annually, equivalent to less than one per cent of shrimp production of many competing countries. The director said that the lack of economies of scale in the local industry resulted in higher costs of feed and post-larvae.
She went on to say that although Brunei enjoyed lower energy costs than most competing countries, this only made up a small component of the overall operating costs.
Due to underlying factors such as high labour costs, the key issue still remained: "Brunei has higher costs of production than other shrimp farming countries in the region".
As these difficulties have grown, Brunei shrimp farmers have "retreated" from the highly competitive export markets and focused more on the local markets, which have also succumbed to the threat of vannamei, as more of this cheaper variety of shrimp are being imported into Brunei.
The department felt that the answer to the problem was not competing "head-on" with the low-priced commodity but, rather, to restructure the farming sector to reduce costs and generate high-value products.
In this effort, the Fisheries Department in a three-year agreement with US company, Integrated Aquaculture International (IAI), implemented plans to introduce the black tiger shrimp over the past two years. The shrimp, which is also known as the Penaeus monodon, could grow to a much larger size than the other two types of shrimp and could command higher prices in international markets.
However, the monodon had to be selectively bred over several shrimp generations to combat their susceptibility to disease and thus, generating a specific pathogen free (SPF) stock.
The director said that the programme was well under way and the F2 generation of SPF monodon has already been developed.
With the plans to build the Telisai Phase II farm expansion, Brunei's shrimp production could see an increase to 2,000 metric tonnes per year.
This target productivity could achieve the required economies of scale in feed, post-larvae, processing and marketing, the director said.
Apart from their cooperation in developing SPF shrimp, IAI also worked with the department in genetically-improved post-larvae, high-performing feeds, and sustainable farming systems and techniques aimed to produce quality shrimp for premium markets.
"We are hopeful that the new business model will grow, prosper and lead to other high-value spin-offs that will benefit Brunei for years to come," said Hjh Hasnah.
In an interview with a local shrimp farmer, Hj Nasrul Hakim Hj Othman of S Kota Sdn Bhd told The Brunei Times that at present, there was no particular organisation which unites the 13 local shrimp culturers.
However, he said that, under their own initiative, the farmers did meet and work together to collect data and discuss issues faced by the farmers to present to the Fisheries Department.
Hj Nasrul Hakim welcomed the formation of such an organisation but wished the department would emphasise the idea to all the farmers directly on the significance of this cooperation.
The Brunei Times
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Realising potential of local shrimp industry Shrimp farmers in Brunei currently facing uphill battle to survive
Realising potential of local shrimp industry Shrimp farmers in Brunei currently facing uphill battle to survive
Fresh shrimps: Vendor at Gadong fish market showing his fresh prawns. Picture: The Brunei Times
IZAM SAID YA'AKUB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, November 8, 2008
DESPITE the efforts to bolster the aquaculture industry here in Brunei Darussalam, the local shrimp farming industry is having great difficulty in blossoming.
"It could be a matter of months, if not years, before some of our companies will fold," says Hj Nasrul Hakim, who helps operate a family business that has been farming shrimp for 13 years now.
The major difficulties encountered by the local shrimp farmers here is that since having been advised to culture a different species of shrimp, the previous species have come back to haunt the industry, which is thought to be less suitable locally and abroad for culturing and export.
Previously the local shrimp industry had moved from culturing Vanna Mei shrimp, which is easily found for sale in local markets here in Brunei because of its high yield from the harvests. According to local shrimp farmers here in Brunei, almost eight to 10 tonnes of Vanna Mei is imported here into Brunei every 10 days.
Shrimps, are susceptible to diseases, which either stunt the growth of the said shrimps or see them develop with deformities. As they are animals without sophisticated immune systems, diseases can spread through whole shrimp farms. However the most pressing aspect is that a shrimp infected by disease could be ingested by birds, which then spread the disease when travelling to other shrimp farms or feeding grounds, threatening the entire industry.
The move to Rostiris shrimp, was thought to be the way forward, a shrimp which is larger, less susceptible to disease and considered to be in greater demand among eateries and restaurants. However the costs involved meant that prices are higher.
At this point in time though the shrimp farmers, after having switched to the culturing of Rostiris, have discovered that yields are significantly less. "From 150,000 fries yields of up to two tonnes can be expected," said a local shrimp farmer who spoke on condition of anonymity. "With the previous shrimp (Vanna Mei) we could get up to four tonnes."
Judging by the complaints from shrimp farmers, attempts to cater for the export market have meant that competitiveness within the local market has come at a steep price.
During a quick trip to the Gadong wet markets The Brunei Times saw that prices for a kilo of imported Vanna Mei shrimp was $4, whereas the shrimp cultured locally in Brunei was priced at $10. "We are forced to lower our price and sell at a loss, because if we do not, the shrimp will go rotten," said the local shrimp farmer. Cutting their losses is only the tip of the iceberg, with many of the shrimp farmers finding it hard coming to grips with the extremely low price of imported shrimp.
"We know now that it is not illegal for them to import the shrimp, but asking us to culture a shrimp which is more expensive to our clients and difficult to sell could see the collapse of the whole industry," said Hj Nasrul Hakim.
Meanwhile the anticipated arrival of a Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) Black Tiger shrimp, which is also known as Penaeus Monodon, being bred in Brunei has been met with scepticism from the members of the shrimp farming community here in Brunei Darussalam.
During the 6th Aquaculture Seminar organised by the Fisheries Department in March 2008, the local shrimp industry was informed that the SPF process was nearly complete with genetically improved post-larvae available in the last quarter of 2008.
The three-year project which has seen the Department of Fisheries and Integrated Aquaculture International develop advanced aquaculture technology to produce large black tiger shrimp for export. These stocks of black tiger shrimp have been established and moved from primary quarantine to secondary quarantine toward potential SPF status. Once established, the breeding of SPF black tiger shrimp will be set to begin, marking a new chapter in the history of Brunei's fairly infant shrimp industry.
The approach is such that Brunei can carve a niche for itself in international high value seafood markets. The shrimps, which have been aimed at reaching 40gm per individual shrimp, will be aimed at exports but could easily satisfy the local market.
However one critical aspect which needs to be addressed is the fact that the production in Brunei Darussalam in itself is fragmented. To fulfil export demands, Brunei will need to find appropriate buyers that can be satisfied by the production from the Sultanate's infant shrimp industry. For the most part, the 13 shrimp farms will need to combine their production to achieve the numbers that are generally demanded by foreign markets.
Shrimp farmers face high costs for post-larvae, feed and labour, making it a challenge to compete on price with shrimps constantly being brought in to cater for Brunei's price sensitive consumption. Exports will therefore need to target a different market.
The Monodon could prove to be a winner, due to being a larger shrimp and even popular locally.
Yet in order to be successful in its endeavours abroad, the Brunei Monodon will need to be marketed appropriately, with HACCP and EU certifications in place.
While the race is on for Brunei's shrimp industry to find a way to become competitive against the imported Vanna Mei, the local industry itself needs to be convinced that the new Monodon shrimp is the right produce for their farms.
The Minister of Industry and Primary Resources in 2006 underscored the potential of Brunei's fisheries sector, which could achieve total receipts of $400 million in 2023.
From this forecast it has been widely projected that $200 million could come from aquaculture, with a further $113 million from prawn breeding. Last year the production achieved by Brunei's local shrimp industry surpassed 573 tonnes — 374.79 tonnes were shipped abroad in 2006.
(With additional reporting by Ubaidillah Masli)
The Brunei Times
Fresh shrimps: Vendor at Gadong fish market showing his fresh prawns. Picture: The Brunei Times
IZAM SAID YA'AKUB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, November 8, 2008
DESPITE the efforts to bolster the aquaculture industry here in Brunei Darussalam, the local shrimp farming industry is having great difficulty in blossoming.
"It could be a matter of months, if not years, before some of our companies will fold," says Hj Nasrul Hakim, who helps operate a family business that has been farming shrimp for 13 years now.
The major difficulties encountered by the local shrimp farmers here is that since having been advised to culture a different species of shrimp, the previous species have come back to haunt the industry, which is thought to be less suitable locally and abroad for culturing and export.
Previously the local shrimp industry had moved from culturing Vanna Mei shrimp, which is easily found for sale in local markets here in Brunei because of its high yield from the harvests. According to local shrimp farmers here in Brunei, almost eight to 10 tonnes of Vanna Mei is imported here into Brunei every 10 days.
Shrimps, are susceptible to diseases, which either stunt the growth of the said shrimps or see them develop with deformities. As they are animals without sophisticated immune systems, diseases can spread through whole shrimp farms. However the most pressing aspect is that a shrimp infected by disease could be ingested by birds, which then spread the disease when travelling to other shrimp farms or feeding grounds, threatening the entire industry.
The move to Rostiris shrimp, was thought to be the way forward, a shrimp which is larger, less susceptible to disease and considered to be in greater demand among eateries and restaurants. However the costs involved meant that prices are higher.
At this point in time though the shrimp farmers, after having switched to the culturing of Rostiris, have discovered that yields are significantly less. "From 150,000 fries yields of up to two tonnes can be expected," said a local shrimp farmer who spoke on condition of anonymity. "With the previous shrimp (Vanna Mei) we could get up to four tonnes."
Judging by the complaints from shrimp farmers, attempts to cater for the export market have meant that competitiveness within the local market has come at a steep price.
During a quick trip to the Gadong wet markets The Brunei Times saw that prices for a kilo of imported Vanna Mei shrimp was $4, whereas the shrimp cultured locally in Brunei was priced at $10. "We are forced to lower our price and sell at a loss, because if we do not, the shrimp will go rotten," said the local shrimp farmer. Cutting their losses is only the tip of the iceberg, with many of the shrimp farmers finding it hard coming to grips with the extremely low price of imported shrimp.
"We know now that it is not illegal for them to import the shrimp, but asking us to culture a shrimp which is more expensive to our clients and difficult to sell could see the collapse of the whole industry," said Hj Nasrul Hakim.
Meanwhile the anticipated arrival of a Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) Black Tiger shrimp, which is also known as Penaeus Monodon, being bred in Brunei has been met with scepticism from the members of the shrimp farming community here in Brunei Darussalam.
During the 6th Aquaculture Seminar organised by the Fisheries Department in March 2008, the local shrimp industry was informed that the SPF process was nearly complete with genetically improved post-larvae available in the last quarter of 2008.
The three-year project which has seen the Department of Fisheries and Integrated Aquaculture International develop advanced aquaculture technology to produce large black tiger shrimp for export. These stocks of black tiger shrimp have been established and moved from primary quarantine to secondary quarantine toward potential SPF status. Once established, the breeding of SPF black tiger shrimp will be set to begin, marking a new chapter in the history of Brunei's fairly infant shrimp industry.
The approach is such that Brunei can carve a niche for itself in international high value seafood markets. The shrimps, which have been aimed at reaching 40gm per individual shrimp, will be aimed at exports but could easily satisfy the local market.
However one critical aspect which needs to be addressed is the fact that the production in Brunei Darussalam in itself is fragmented. To fulfil export demands, Brunei will need to find appropriate buyers that can be satisfied by the production from the Sultanate's infant shrimp industry. For the most part, the 13 shrimp farms will need to combine their production to achieve the numbers that are generally demanded by foreign markets.
Shrimp farmers face high costs for post-larvae, feed and labour, making it a challenge to compete on price with shrimps constantly being brought in to cater for Brunei's price sensitive consumption. Exports will therefore need to target a different market.
The Monodon could prove to be a winner, due to being a larger shrimp and even popular locally.
Yet in order to be successful in its endeavours abroad, the Brunei Monodon will need to be marketed appropriately, with HACCP and EU certifications in place.
While the race is on for Brunei's shrimp industry to find a way to become competitive against the imported Vanna Mei, the local industry itself needs to be convinced that the new Monodon shrimp is the right produce for their farms.
The Minister of Industry and Primary Resources in 2006 underscored the potential of Brunei's fisheries sector, which could achieve total receipts of $400 million in 2023.
From this forecast it has been widely projected that $200 million could come from aquaculture, with a further $113 million from prawn breeding. Last year the production achieved by Brunei's local shrimp industry surpassed 573 tonnes — 374.79 tonnes were shipped abroad in 2006.
(With additional reporting by Ubaidillah Masli)
The Brunei Times
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
SPARK avenue for economic diversification
SPARK avenue for economic diversification
New opportunities: Pg Kerma Raja Pg Hj Kamarulzaman (R), chairman of the Sg Liang authority, accompanied by the Chairman of the 34th AJBM Shazali Dato Hj Sulaiman (L) during their visit to Sg Liang Industrial Park.Picture: BT/Jefrisalas
BELAIT
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
SOME 50 of the 34th Asean-Japan Business Meeting (AJBM) delegates had the opportunity to a firsthand view of Sungai Liang Industrial Park (SPARK), that was designated to become a world class petrochemical hub during a visit to the project site yesterday.
Organised by Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) the visit provided an avenue to enlighten delegates on business opportunities that are currently present in Brunei Darussalam, particularly at SPARK.
Prior to the visit, the delegates were briefed on "New Business Opportunities in Brunei Darussalam" by BEDB Chief Executive Officer Vincent Cheong at the MMC Centre in Sungai Liang.
The CEO briefed the delegates on Brunei's economic background, especially the low inflation rate of 1.5 per cent. This is comparably low compared to other Asean countries.
The low and attractive corporate income tax incurred by businesses were explained to the delegates as one of the most attractive feature in conducting business.
He took this opportunity to further explain Brunei's attentiveness in conserving its flora and fauna in the Heart of Borneo Project.
His presentation covered other aspects such as the current economic challenges experienced by the country where he revealed that with a GDP of 2.1 per cent to support the population growth of 2.7 per cent it actually erodes away per capita income.
Vincent explained to the delegates on the nation dependency on oil and gas industry, as 96 per cent of its export coming from this sector.
Later during his briefing the CEO informed the delegates with attractive potential industry to be invested in the nation that includes not only extending the oil and gas value chain but also by leveraging on Islamic brand.
"Brunei's strategy includes looking at the halal pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry, in which BEDB are currently in the process of coming up with its guidelines," said Vincent.
Those present were also briefed on a number of BEDB initiative namely SPARK, Pulau Muara Besar and the Anggerek Desa Technology Park
Present yesterday in the briefing were the chairman of Sungai Liang Authority Pg Kerma Raja Pg Hj Kamarulzaman PPSDB Pg Hj Ali, the head of delegation Tosghitaka Hagiwaran senior advisor for Komatsu Corporation, Senior Officials from BEDB.
The visit was among the highlights for 34th AJBM, a joint effort between Keizai Doyukai and Asia Inc Forum before the delegates' departure yesterday evening. (DKR1)
The Brunei Times
New opportunities: Pg Kerma Raja Pg Hj Kamarulzaman (R), chairman of the Sg Liang authority, accompanied by the Chairman of the 34th AJBM Shazali Dato Hj Sulaiman (L) during their visit to Sg Liang Industrial Park.Picture: BT/Jefrisalas
BELAIT
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
SOME 50 of the 34th Asean-Japan Business Meeting (AJBM) delegates had the opportunity to a firsthand view of Sungai Liang Industrial Park (SPARK), that was designated to become a world class petrochemical hub during a visit to the project site yesterday.
Organised by Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) the visit provided an avenue to enlighten delegates on business opportunities that are currently present in Brunei Darussalam, particularly at SPARK.
Prior to the visit, the delegates were briefed on "New Business Opportunities in Brunei Darussalam" by BEDB Chief Executive Officer Vincent Cheong at the MMC Centre in Sungai Liang.
The CEO briefed the delegates on Brunei's economic background, especially the low inflation rate of 1.5 per cent. This is comparably low compared to other Asean countries.
The low and attractive corporate income tax incurred by businesses were explained to the delegates as one of the most attractive feature in conducting business.
He took this opportunity to further explain Brunei's attentiveness in conserving its flora and fauna in the Heart of Borneo Project.
His presentation covered other aspects such as the current economic challenges experienced by the country where he revealed that with a GDP of 2.1 per cent to support the population growth of 2.7 per cent it actually erodes away per capita income.
Vincent explained to the delegates on the nation dependency on oil and gas industry, as 96 per cent of its export coming from this sector.
Later during his briefing the CEO informed the delegates with attractive potential industry to be invested in the nation that includes not only extending the oil and gas value chain but also by leveraging on Islamic brand.
"Brunei's strategy includes looking at the halal pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry, in which BEDB are currently in the process of coming up with its guidelines," said Vincent.
Those present were also briefed on a number of BEDB initiative namely SPARK, Pulau Muara Besar and the Anggerek Desa Technology Park
Present yesterday in the briefing were the chairman of Sungai Liang Authority Pg Kerma Raja Pg Hj Kamarulzaman PPSDB Pg Hj Ali, the head of delegation Tosghitaka Hagiwaran senior advisor for Komatsu Corporation, Senior Officials from BEDB.
The visit was among the highlights for 34th AJBM, a joint effort between Keizai Doyukai and Asia Inc Forum before the delegates' departure yesterday evening. (DKR1)
The Brunei Times
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Public policy can usher in SME adoption of sustainable devt
Public policy can usher in SME adoption of sustainable devt
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
SMALL and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a big role in today's global commerce and in achieving sustainable development, but governments and public policy hold the key to paving the way for the attainment of such potential.
"Global companies are outsourcing so many of the business operations and SMEs are playing a very important role in providing products and services that are sold to (them)," said Dr Terry Yosie, president of The World Environment Center.
"The role of SMEs is becoming increasingly important in the evolution of both global commerce and the practical challenges of achieving sustainable development for several reasons," he stressed during the recently held Asia Inc's National Environment Conference.
SMEs have their own environmental, societal and energy impacts so their increasing role in global commerce also means that they are leaving a larger carbon footprint, he said.
"Because they are becoming more of the primary producers of products, they are the ones who are increasingly extracting resources from the earth."
It is for these reasons, he added, that the world has to pay more attention to the SMEs. To get them to start thinking more about sustainable development, Yosie said there is a need for leadership "within the SMEs, ... within the customers and a need for leadership on the part of the government and policies".
The consumers and buyers also play a very important role in taking the leadership role because at the end of the day it is the customers who buy the products.
Yosie doesn't expect SMEs to be charitable organisations and spend extra revenue to change their operations to become more sustainable, and this is where the government and public policy come into play.
"They have to integrate sustainability into the very nature of SME business and this has to be about creating business value for the SMEs."
There are many opportunities to do that by reducing cost and saving energy by reducing cost to prevent waste, practicing recycling and so on, he said.
"Governments can provide incentives for companies that want to be more energy efficient and want to have healthier and safer work places, so there are a lot of 'low hanging fruit' to reducing cost."
There will be different challenges for different segments but government policies and actions can come in to play, he added.
"I have seen many successful examples all around the world where governments can create resources for research and development, or governments can foster partnerships between SMEs and research organisations and the SMEs are in a position where they can transfer those innovations to the markets." Debbie Too
The Brunei Times
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
SMALL and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a big role in today's global commerce and in achieving sustainable development, but governments and public policy hold the key to paving the way for the attainment of such potential.
"Global companies are outsourcing so many of the business operations and SMEs are playing a very important role in providing products and services that are sold to (them)," said Dr Terry Yosie, president of The World Environment Center.
"The role of SMEs is becoming increasingly important in the evolution of both global commerce and the practical challenges of achieving sustainable development for several reasons," he stressed during the recently held Asia Inc's National Environment Conference.
SMEs have their own environmental, societal and energy impacts so their increasing role in global commerce also means that they are leaving a larger carbon footprint, he said.
"Because they are becoming more of the primary producers of products, they are the ones who are increasingly extracting resources from the earth."
It is for these reasons, he added, that the world has to pay more attention to the SMEs. To get them to start thinking more about sustainable development, Yosie said there is a need for leadership "within the SMEs, ... within the customers and a need for leadership on the part of the government and policies".
The consumers and buyers also play a very important role in taking the leadership role because at the end of the day it is the customers who buy the products.
Yosie doesn't expect SMEs to be charitable organisations and spend extra revenue to change their operations to become more sustainable, and this is where the government and public policy come into play.
"They have to integrate sustainability into the very nature of SME business and this has to be about creating business value for the SMEs."
There are many opportunities to do that by reducing cost and saving energy by reducing cost to prevent waste, practicing recycling and so on, he said.
"Governments can provide incentives for companies that want to be more energy efficient and want to have healthier and safer work places, so there are a lot of 'low hanging fruit' to reducing cost."
There will be different challenges for different segments but government policies and actions can come in to play, he added.
"I have seen many successful examples all around the world where governments can create resources for research and development, or governments can foster partnerships between SMEs and research organisations and the SMEs are in a position where they can transfer those innovations to the markets." Debbie Too
The Brunei Times
Monday, August 25, 2008
Asean, India set to seal trade deal
Asean, India set to seal trade deal
From the ground up: An Indonesian labourer works at a construction site in Jakarta, on Friday. Asean ministers will finalise this week a trade deal with India. Picture: EPASINGAPORE
Monday, August 25, 2008
ASEAN is set this week to finalise a free trade agreement with India and hold talks with Australia and New Zealand, signalling the importance of regional pacts amid fading hopes for a global trading regime.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) economic ministers, meeting in Singapore from today to Friday, are expected to put the final touches on an Asean-India trade in goods pact agreed on by senior officials earlier this month.
The deal covering billions of dollars is expected to be signed during the Asean-India Summit in December, officials have said.
Asean economic ministers will also hold talks with their counterparts from Australia and New Zealand in an effort to have a trade agreement ready for signing by December, a Southeast Asian diplomatic source said.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said recently Canberra hoped to conclude the talks with the 10-member Asean in Singapore, but the source said this might not be possible because certain issues still have to be resolved.
But the source added the issues, one of them concerning the rights of New Zealand's indigenous peoples, were minor. He was confident a deal will be reached in time for the Asean Summit in Bangkok in December.
Asean has agreed to gradually tear down barriers to trade in goods and services with China and South Korea and has signed a wide-ranging economic partnership deal with Japan, which also covers investments.
Forging the trade links with India and the two Pacific nations will complete the bloc's ties with all its key Asia-Pacific trading partners, and could be a catalyst for a region-wide free-trade zone, officials said.
Asean has a combined population of about 550 million people. It is a diverse group which ranges from high-tech Singapore to poverty-stricken Myanmar, and the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia.
Asean is already a free-trade area with 90 per cent of goods traded having tariffs between zero and five per cent.
This week the ministers are expected to discuss the impact of high oil and food prices and the escalating global economic slowdown on their economies.
But officials said the overriding focus would be on efforts to achieve a single market and manufacturing base by 2015 to raise Asean's profile in the face of competition from China and India.
"To stay in the game, Asean must become a strong integrated region," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
He warned that, individually, Asean states are "only tiny blips on the radar screens of investors".
Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said Asean is likely to focus more on implementing and strengthening its free-trade agreements (FTAs) than on planning for a massive 16-nation pact including its key regional trading partners and covering about half of the global population.
But she agreed the FTAs could evolve in the future.
"What we are seeing is that Asean is at the focal point of all these trade agreements," Pangestu told AFP, noting that all the Asean deals with individual countries are similar in structure.
"Eventually, when you consolidate the FTAs, it is possible that you could end up with something like that (an Asia-wide FTA)."
Regional FTAs could gain fresh momentum after the latest attempt to end a seven-year deadlock in the so-called Doha Round of global trade talks broke down in July because of a dispute between India and the United States over agricultural tariffs.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in a recent study on Asian regionalism, said "substantial gains could be realised from consolidating the many FTAs into a single, region-wide one" and from adopting practices to guide future regional and sub-regional FTAs.
But while Asia is forging ahead with trade linkages, the region has a major task in integrating its financial markets which are now larger, deeper and more sophisticated than they were a decade ago, it said.
The region also has to make sure the benefits of economic progress reach a larger number of people, especially the poor, the Manila-based ADB said.
"Governments need to connect the poor to the thriving regional economy by eliminating labour market barriers, investing in workers' capabilities, and building infrastructure to connect disadvantaged regions with economic centres," said the agency, which aims to reduce poverty.
The region was on the right track, however, the ADB said.
"We are witnessing the beginnings of a strong, prosperous, outward-looking Asian economic community, regionally integrated yet connected with global markets, and with responsibility and influence to match its economic weight," the ADB said.AFP
From the ground up: An Indonesian labourer works at a construction site in Jakarta, on Friday. Asean ministers will finalise this week a trade deal with India. Picture: EPASINGAPORE
Monday, August 25, 2008
ASEAN is set this week to finalise a free trade agreement with India and hold talks with Australia and New Zealand, signalling the importance of regional pacts amid fading hopes for a global trading regime.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) economic ministers, meeting in Singapore from today to Friday, are expected to put the final touches on an Asean-India trade in goods pact agreed on by senior officials earlier this month.
The deal covering billions of dollars is expected to be signed during the Asean-India Summit in December, officials have said.
Asean economic ministers will also hold talks with their counterparts from Australia and New Zealand in an effort to have a trade agreement ready for signing by December, a Southeast Asian diplomatic source said.
Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said recently Canberra hoped to conclude the talks with the 10-member Asean in Singapore, but the source said this might not be possible because certain issues still have to be resolved.
But the source added the issues, one of them concerning the rights of New Zealand's indigenous peoples, were minor. He was confident a deal will be reached in time for the Asean Summit in Bangkok in December.
Asean has agreed to gradually tear down barriers to trade in goods and services with China and South Korea and has signed a wide-ranging economic partnership deal with Japan, which also covers investments.
Forging the trade links with India and the two Pacific nations will complete the bloc's ties with all its key Asia-Pacific trading partners, and could be a catalyst for a region-wide free-trade zone, officials said.
Asean has a combined population of about 550 million people. It is a diverse group which ranges from high-tech Singapore to poverty-stricken Myanmar, and the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia.
Asean is already a free-trade area with 90 per cent of goods traded having tariffs between zero and five per cent.
This week the ministers are expected to discuss the impact of high oil and food prices and the escalating global economic slowdown on their economies.
But officials said the overriding focus would be on efforts to achieve a single market and manufacturing base by 2015 to raise Asean's profile in the face of competition from China and India.
"To stay in the game, Asean must become a strong integrated region," Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said.
He warned that, individually, Asean states are "only tiny blips on the radar screens of investors".
Indonesian Trade Minister Mari Pangestu said Asean is likely to focus more on implementing and strengthening its free-trade agreements (FTAs) than on planning for a massive 16-nation pact including its key regional trading partners and covering about half of the global population.
But she agreed the FTAs could evolve in the future.
"What we are seeing is that Asean is at the focal point of all these trade agreements," Pangestu told AFP, noting that all the Asean deals with individual countries are similar in structure.
"Eventually, when you consolidate the FTAs, it is possible that you could end up with something like that (an Asia-wide FTA)."
Regional FTAs could gain fresh momentum after the latest attempt to end a seven-year deadlock in the so-called Doha Round of global trade talks broke down in July because of a dispute between India and the United States over agricultural tariffs.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), in a recent study on Asian regionalism, said "substantial gains could be realised from consolidating the many FTAs into a single, region-wide one" and from adopting practices to guide future regional and sub-regional FTAs.
But while Asia is forging ahead with trade linkages, the region has a major task in integrating its financial markets which are now larger, deeper and more sophisticated than they were a decade ago, it said.
The region also has to make sure the benefits of economic progress reach a larger number of people, especially the poor, the Manila-based ADB said.
"Governments need to connect the poor to the thriving regional economy by eliminating labour market barriers, investing in workers' capabilities, and building infrastructure to connect disadvantaged regions with economic centres," said the agency, which aims to reduce poverty.
The region was on the right track, however, the ADB said.
"We are witnessing the beginnings of a strong, prosperous, outward-looking Asian economic community, regionally integrated yet connected with global markets, and with responsibility and influence to match its economic weight," the ADB said.AFP
Get ready to say hello to 'made in Brunei' mobile
Get ready to say hello to 'made in Brunei' mobile
Ubaidillah Masli
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, August 25, 2008
EXPECT to see mobile phones which bear the label "made in Brunei Darussalam" in the market within the near future as Dina Brunei held the launching of the mobile phone manufacturing industry. By January 2009, a factory to introduce and assemble GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phones in the Sultanate will become fully operational.
As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dina Brunei and Christel Technologies Singapore, a new company, Business Time Technologies Sdn Bhd had been formed to handle the production of these locally-made cell phones. The MoU was signed yesterday during the ceremony, which was held at the theatre of the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Signing on behalf of Dina Brunei was its president, Azlan Yussuf, who stated that the factory would commence production with the introduction of its first line of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) mobile phones as well as "everyday" handphones.
Azlan highlighted that the new industry was in line with the nation's aim of diversifying its economy and reducing its dependency on oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the manufacturing of mobile phones would place Brunei on the map as an industrial and commercial hub.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Augustine Yap, was on hand to sign the MoU on behalf of Christel Technologies Singapore. He also delivered a speech where he outlined that the cooperation of the two companies was a "clear reflection" of Dina Brunei's initiative to penetrate the global stage.
Yap said that the cooperation between Christel Technologies and Dina Brunei "fitted well". Since the Singaporean company had the necessary ICT knowledge and expertise while Dina Brunei had the "strong financial capacity", Yap expressed his belief that together, they would be able to combine their resources to "deliver the best product" to the market.
He also said that the world mobile phone industry was growing and quoted a 2006 survey which forecast an expected compound annual growth of 14 per cent. He added that in 2011, worldwide mobile phone shipment will reach a total of 1.46 billion sets.
"It is the desire of this new company to capitalise on this growing market demand," he said.
Yap also announced that once the factory becomes operational, a research and development department would be established to create new innovative products designed by local engineers. In this light, the CEO mentioned that the industry would open up a host of job opportunities, ranging from logistics to engineers.
He added that the products would be exported, targeting "high-end markets" such as oil-importing countries.
Carrying the brand, D-Time, 1,000 limited edition models of these phones would be released by the end of next month to give the customers a taste of what the company has to offer in the future. A teaser trailer was also played to give the audience of Dina group members a brief glimpse of the new product. The president of Dina Global, Hasri Md Nor, was present to launch the trailer as the guest of honour at the event.
The Brunei Times
Ubaidillah Masli
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, August 25, 2008
EXPECT to see mobile phones which bear the label "made in Brunei Darussalam" in the market within the near future as Dina Brunei held the launching of the mobile phone manufacturing industry. By January 2009, a factory to introduce and assemble GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phones in the Sultanate will become fully operational.
As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dina Brunei and Christel Technologies Singapore, a new company, Business Time Technologies Sdn Bhd had been formed to handle the production of these locally-made cell phones. The MoU was signed yesterday during the ceremony, which was held at the theatre of the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Signing on behalf of Dina Brunei was its president, Azlan Yussuf, who stated that the factory would commence production with the introduction of its first line of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) mobile phones as well as "everyday" handphones.
Azlan highlighted that the new industry was in line with the nation's aim of diversifying its economy and reducing its dependency on oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the manufacturing of mobile phones would place Brunei on the map as an industrial and commercial hub.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Augustine Yap, was on hand to sign the MoU on behalf of Christel Technologies Singapore. He also delivered a speech where he outlined that the cooperation of the two companies was a "clear reflection" of Dina Brunei's initiative to penetrate the global stage.
Yap said that the cooperation between Christel Technologies and Dina Brunei "fitted well". Since the Singaporean company had the necessary ICT knowledge and expertise while Dina Brunei had the "strong financial capacity", Yap expressed his belief that together, they would be able to combine their resources to "deliver the best product" to the market.
He also said that the world mobile phone industry was growing and quoted a 2006 survey which forecast an expected compound annual growth of 14 per cent. He added that in 2011, worldwide mobile phone shipment will reach a total of 1.46 billion sets.
"It is the desire of this new company to capitalise on this growing market demand," he said.
Yap also announced that once the factory becomes operational, a research and development department would be established to create new innovative products designed by local engineers. In this light, the CEO mentioned that the industry would open up a host of job opportunities, ranging from logistics to engineers.
He added that the products would be exported, targeting "high-end markets" such as oil-importing countries.
Carrying the brand, D-Time, 1,000 limited edition models of these phones would be released by the end of next month to give the customers a taste of what the company has to offer in the future. A teaser trailer was also played to give the audience of Dina group members a brief glimpse of the new product. The president of Dina Global, Hasri Md Nor, was present to launch the trailer as the guest of honour at the event.
The Brunei Times
Get ready to say hello to 'made in Brunei' mobile
Get ready to say hello to 'made in Brunei' mobile
UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, August 25, 2008
EXPECT to see mobile phones which bear the label "made in Brunei Darussalam" in the market within the near future as Dina Brunei held the launching of the mobile phone manufacturing industry. By January 2009, a factory to introduce and assemble GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phones in the Sultanate will become fully operational.
As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dina Brunei and Christel Technologies Singapore, a new company, Business Time Technologies Sdn Bhd had been formed to handle the production of these locally-made cell phones. The MoU was signed yesterday during the ceremony, which was held at the theatre of the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Signing on behalf of Dina Brunei was its president, Azlan Yussuf, who stated that the factory would commence production with the introduction of its first line of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) mobile phones as well as "everyday" handphones.
Azlan highlighted that the new industry was in line with the nation's aim of diversifying its economy and reducing its dependency on oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the manufacturing of mobile phones would place Brunei on the map as an industrial and commercial hub.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Augustine Yap, was on hand to sign the MoU on behalf of Christel Technologies Singapore. He also delivered a speech where he outlined that the cooperation of the two companies was a "clear reflection" of Dina Brunei's initiative to penetrate the global stage.
Yap said that the cooperation between Christel Technologies and Dina Brunei "fitted well". Since the Singaporean company had the necessary ICT knowledge and expertise while Dina Brunei had the "strong financial capacity", Yap expressed his belief that together, they would be able to combine their resources to "deliver the best product" to the market.
He also said that the world mobile phone industry was growing and quoted a 2006 survey which forecast an expected compound annual growth of 14 per cent. He added that in 2011, worldwide mobile phone shipment will reach a total of 1.46 billion sets.
"It is the desire of this new company to capitalise on this growing market demand," he said.
Yap also announced that once the factory becomes operational, a research and development department would be established to create new innovative products designed by local engineers. In this light, the CEO mentioned that the industry would open up a host of job opportunities, ranging from logistics to engineers.
He added that the products would be exported, targeting "high-end markets" such as oil-importing countries.
Carrying the brand, D-Time, 1,000 limited edition models of these phones would be released by the end of next month to give the customers a taste of what the company has to offer in the future. A teaser trailer was also played to give the audience of Dina group members a brief glimpse of the new product. The president of Dina Global, Hasri Md Nor, was present to launch the trailer as the guest of honour at the event.
The Brunei Times
UBAIDILLAH MASLI
BRUNEI-MUARA
Monday, August 25, 2008
EXPECT to see mobile phones which bear the label "made in Brunei Darussalam" in the market within the near future as Dina Brunei held the launching of the mobile phone manufacturing industry. By January 2009, a factory to introduce and assemble GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) mobile phones in the Sultanate will become fully operational.
As a result of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dina Brunei and Christel Technologies Singapore, a new company, Business Time Technologies Sdn Bhd had been formed to handle the production of these locally-made cell phones. The MoU was signed yesterday during the ceremony, which was held at the theatre of the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Signing on behalf of Dina Brunei was its president, Azlan Yussuf, who stated that the factory would commence production with the introduction of its first line of PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) mobile phones as well as "everyday" handphones.
Azlan highlighted that the new industry was in line with the nation's aim of diversifying its economy and reducing its dependency on oil and gas. He expressed the hope that the manufacturing of mobile phones would place Brunei on the map as an industrial and commercial hub.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Augustine Yap, was on hand to sign the MoU on behalf of Christel Technologies Singapore. He also delivered a speech where he outlined that the cooperation of the two companies was a "clear reflection" of Dina Brunei's initiative to penetrate the global stage.
Yap said that the cooperation between Christel Technologies and Dina Brunei "fitted well". Since the Singaporean company had the necessary ICT knowledge and expertise while Dina Brunei had the "strong financial capacity", Yap expressed his belief that together, they would be able to combine their resources to "deliver the best product" to the market.
He also said that the world mobile phone industry was growing and quoted a 2006 survey which forecast an expected compound annual growth of 14 per cent. He added that in 2011, worldwide mobile phone shipment will reach a total of 1.46 billion sets.
"It is the desire of this new company to capitalise on this growing market demand," he said.
Yap also announced that once the factory becomes operational, a research and development department would be established to create new innovative products designed by local engineers. In this light, the CEO mentioned that the industry would open up a host of job opportunities, ranging from logistics to engineers.
He added that the products would be exported, targeting "high-end markets" such as oil-importing countries.
Carrying the brand, D-Time, 1,000 limited edition models of these phones would be released by the end of next month to give the customers a taste of what the company has to offer in the future. A teaser trailer was also played to give the audience of Dina group members a brief glimpse of the new product. The president of Dina Global, Hasri Md Nor, was present to launch the trailer as the guest of honour at the event.
The Brunei Times
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Priming the industrial pump
Priming the industrial pump
Helping build Brunei: The Butra Heidelberg (Brunei Cement) factory in Muara is one of many projects initiated by Hamidjojo Development. The business strategy and development firm aims to help build industries in Brunei Picture: BT/Zamri ZainalDebbie Too
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, August 23, 2008
HAMIDJOJO Development's founder and chief executive Rubyanto A Hamidjojo enjoys building a business, and more specifically developing an industry.
"(It) doesn't just develop projects, we develop industries and then sell (a business project) off to other companies to manage," says Hamidjojo project manager Joseph Sequeira who has been in the company for more than 15 years. To this day, Sequeira still feels the same rush and anticipation he had in the beginning.
Commitment is said to be one of the most important ingredients in a successful business. However, once a business has reached a certain level of success, it is hard to not fall into a routine trap which can make even the most exciting of tasks seem dull. The rush, excitement and anticipation that someone in business feels in the beginning soon starts to wear off and may even result in boredom. But not at Hamidjojo, says Sequeira.
"In the past 15 years being in the company, every new project we have done has always felt like something new because it's always something different."
The company has narrowed its niche down to being a business strategy and development company, which Sequeira explains is due to the nature of the business. It involves developing a company, running it for a couple of years, and once the project has reached its peak, it is sold off to other businessmen.
"Our first project was the first ... mineral water plant, which cost $5 million, and was built and developed in Lumut in 1985," says Sequeira. After a few years, the company was sold off and Hamidjojo started looking to develop another industry, cement.
"Our founder has experience from Indonesia, and he always sees the potential in developing industries in Brunei, so the next feasible project we developed was the cement plant, previously known as Butra Djajanti but sold off to a German company and now called Butra Heidelberg cement." The cement plant cost $90 million to build and was completed in 1993.
Since there are many industries to develop, Sequeira says that the company decides what projects to develop based on two points: Brunei's available resources and whether the products will have export potential.
"Other than the oil and gas industry, Brunei hardly has any industries in manufacturing, and since the (bigger) garment factories closed down, the other big player in manufacturing is the cement plant. Brunei has the potential to develop more industries with its available resources, so one of the projects we were in the midst of developing was a glass factory."
Sequeira says one of Brunei's natural resources is silica sand found in abundance along the main roads connecting the Tutong district to the Belait district. However, due to the lack of power available to support such a plant and other technical difficulties, Hamidjojo Development decided to put that project on hold. The company's current project involves the development of a thin film solar plant, which costs €30 million ($62.6 million).
"In this day and age, with oil prices going up and the limited amount of energy resources, people are looking towards renewable energy, and solar power is becoming more and more popular," he says.
While Hamidjojo seems to land multi-million projects one after another, Sequeira says it is not without its own set of challenges. Apart from the technical challenges that it faces when working on projects, on a whole the project manager says that decision making in Brunei is slow.
"Sometimes it gets frustrating, but we have to live with it and so we try our best to work around it.
"I have been with this company for a very long time and one of the best things is being able to do something new all the time. With new projects, we learn new things, we read books and magazines to learn more about our project and it's just like being back in school and studying."
The most important thing that has kept Sequeira loyal to the company is the job satisfaction from seeing a project flourish.
"Even though we have sold off our developments, there is always a satisfaction knowing that I was a part of building those factories. Every time I see a Butra Heidelberg cement bag, I think to myself that I helped build that plant. I am not a Bruneian, so eventually, I will have to go back to India, but knowing that I was part of developing certain industries and building the plants and factories is good to leave me happy," he says.
The Brunei Times
Helping build Brunei: The Butra Heidelberg (Brunei Cement) factory in Muara is one of many projects initiated by Hamidjojo Development. The business strategy and development firm aims to help build industries in Brunei Picture: BT/Zamri ZainalDebbie Too
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, August 23, 2008
HAMIDJOJO Development's founder and chief executive Rubyanto A Hamidjojo enjoys building a business, and more specifically developing an industry.
"(It) doesn't just develop projects, we develop industries and then sell (a business project) off to other companies to manage," says Hamidjojo project manager Joseph Sequeira who has been in the company for more than 15 years. To this day, Sequeira still feels the same rush and anticipation he had in the beginning.
Commitment is said to be one of the most important ingredients in a successful business. However, once a business has reached a certain level of success, it is hard to not fall into a routine trap which can make even the most exciting of tasks seem dull. The rush, excitement and anticipation that someone in business feels in the beginning soon starts to wear off and may even result in boredom. But not at Hamidjojo, says Sequeira.
"In the past 15 years being in the company, every new project we have done has always felt like something new because it's always something different."
The company has narrowed its niche down to being a business strategy and development company, which Sequeira explains is due to the nature of the business. It involves developing a company, running it for a couple of years, and once the project has reached its peak, it is sold off to other businessmen.
"Our first project was the first ... mineral water plant, which cost $5 million, and was built and developed in Lumut in 1985," says Sequeira. After a few years, the company was sold off and Hamidjojo started looking to develop another industry, cement.
"Our founder has experience from Indonesia, and he always sees the potential in developing industries in Brunei, so the next feasible project we developed was the cement plant, previously known as Butra Djajanti but sold off to a German company and now called Butra Heidelberg cement." The cement plant cost $90 million to build and was completed in 1993.
Since there are many industries to develop, Sequeira says that the company decides what projects to develop based on two points: Brunei's available resources and whether the products will have export potential.
"Other than the oil and gas industry, Brunei hardly has any industries in manufacturing, and since the (bigger) garment factories closed down, the other big player in manufacturing is the cement plant. Brunei has the potential to develop more industries with its available resources, so one of the projects we were in the midst of developing was a glass factory."
Sequeira says one of Brunei's natural resources is silica sand found in abundance along the main roads connecting the Tutong district to the Belait district. However, due to the lack of power available to support such a plant and other technical difficulties, Hamidjojo Development decided to put that project on hold. The company's current project involves the development of a thin film solar plant, which costs €30 million ($62.6 million).
"In this day and age, with oil prices going up and the limited amount of energy resources, people are looking towards renewable energy, and solar power is becoming more and more popular," he says.
While Hamidjojo seems to land multi-million projects one after another, Sequeira says it is not without its own set of challenges. Apart from the technical challenges that it faces when working on projects, on a whole the project manager says that decision making in Brunei is slow.
"Sometimes it gets frustrating, but we have to live with it and so we try our best to work around it.
"I have been with this company for a very long time and one of the best things is being able to do something new all the time. With new projects, we learn new things, we read books and magazines to learn more about our project and it's just like being back in school and studying."
The most important thing that has kept Sequeira loyal to the company is the job satisfaction from seeing a project flourish.
"Even though we have sold off our developments, there is always a satisfaction knowing that I was a part of building those factories. Every time I see a Butra Heidelberg cement bag, I think to myself that I helped build that plant. I am not a Bruneian, so eventually, I will have to go back to India, but knowing that I was part of developing certain industries and building the plants and factories is good to leave me happy," he says.
The Brunei Times
Brunei can excel in non-meat segment of global halal market
Brunei can excel in non-meat segment of global halal market
Others are just as slow: Hajj Abdulhamid David Evans. Picture: BT/Debbie Too
Saturday, August 23, 2008
AN OFT-ASKED question following the recent International Halal Expo was whether Brunei stands a chance in competing with other players in the global halal food industry? Hajj Abdulhamid Evans, managing director of Imarat Consultant, a consulting firm specialising in the halal market and one of the event managers for the expo, said that the key for Brunei is to focus on niche markets in the global halal arena. One of the leading voices of the halal movement around the world, Evans had more than a few words to say in an interview with The Brunei Times.
Is there a global halal standard to begin with?
There isn't a global standard, and its one of the things that has been discussed for the last few years and there are a few different initiatives going on ... Malaysia has a standard, and Brunei has a standard, which are produced by the standards authorities of those countries, and Singaporean Muslims are discussing their standards as well but the predominantly Muslim countries, like the Gulf states are only starting to think about this now.
How does the Brunei halal standard compare?
It is actually very good and stringent. It's a tough standard in terms of whether they allow stunning of animals prior to slaughter and hand slaughter versus mechanical slaughtering and Brunei's standard takes a purist approach, which is good. This makes it more difficult to apply because it's a higher standard so in some aspects of the market, there may be fewer people able to conform to that standard. People will conform to your standards if they want to sell their goods to you.
In a way does the standard become a slight disadvantage to Brunei?
Its disadvantage is that Brunei is a very small market so the number of people who would conform if they want to sell to Brunei is relatively small. Even in Malaysia, they've conformed to Malaysia to get their business but it's still not that big a market. If you're talking about the Gulf Cooperation Council, they have a huge buying power and the standard that they roll out is going to have a different kind of impact in the market, because food exporting markets who want to reach that market will learn to be compliant with the Middle Eastern standards.
What can Brunei focus on?
One of the approaches that came up during the conference and one of the discussions we had recently, in terms of certifying with non-meat products, is that Brunei be more focused on pharmaceuticals, ingredients, health care products, personal care products and non-meat products. The Brunei standard is actually much more suited to that because there's this quality control that matters more if you're looking at all the details. The Brunei standard doesn't just focus on the slaughtering process, but also on manufacturing and auditing procedures. It's comprehensive and very well done.
What niche markets are available in the halal industry?
Look at ingredients, pharmaceutical products, botanicals and things like that. It suits the industry and even some of the downstream products from oil and gas are getting into the field of pharma. I know there is interest from the Japanese to look at the production or packaging or branding of pharmaceutical products in the new industrial park. So a niche like that is somewhere that no one's really gone, and that plays more to Brunei's strengths, so you can leave the mainstream to other people because there's going to be fierce competition in that.
Could you elaborate more on this?
I discussed with Nestle last year, and I remember asking them what the biggest challenges are for expanding their halal production, and they said that the big challenges was going to find small ingredients like emulsifiers, colourings and all those little additives and getting halal sources for those are quite challenging. The industry in general is looking for meat substitutes for example, people are arguing about gelatin and how to source halal gelatin, but gelatin can be made from vegetable sources as well, so if you go there, then the question of whether it's halal or not doesn't really arise and those kind of opportunities present themselves to Brunei. Good joint ventures could come out of that.
You've said before that Brunei "needs to speed things up a bit".
On one hand you can say that Brunei is a bit slow, but on the other hand, it's not, and because I've worked with other countries on this, and they're just as slow. Funnily enough, Brunei's small size actually can become an advantage because they would be able to be a bit more nimble when it comes to adjusting to changes or focus or revisiting certain decisions and strategies with a small size. It should be easier to stay focused and move things along. To be honest, when I've looked at the progress being made in other countries, Brunei isn't any slower actually.
Can you give any examples of the events and activities that have been done that have made you think otherwise?
When I was here in 2006 for the first halal conference, there was no standard developed and by 2007, it was published and it was really well designed and a series of six books comprising of halal standard booklets, with syariah decisions on questions in the food industry, and those were really good products that were done in a really short period of time.
To be continued
The Brunei Times
Others are just as slow: Hajj Abdulhamid David Evans. Picture: BT/Debbie Too
Saturday, August 23, 2008
AN OFT-ASKED question following the recent International Halal Expo was whether Brunei stands a chance in competing with other players in the global halal food industry? Hajj Abdulhamid Evans, managing director of Imarat Consultant, a consulting firm specialising in the halal market and one of the event managers for the expo, said that the key for Brunei is to focus on niche markets in the global halal arena. One of the leading voices of the halal movement around the world, Evans had more than a few words to say in an interview with The Brunei Times.
Is there a global halal standard to begin with?
There isn't a global standard, and its one of the things that has been discussed for the last few years and there are a few different initiatives going on ... Malaysia has a standard, and Brunei has a standard, which are produced by the standards authorities of those countries, and Singaporean Muslims are discussing their standards as well but the predominantly Muslim countries, like the Gulf states are only starting to think about this now.
How does the Brunei halal standard compare?
It is actually very good and stringent. It's a tough standard in terms of whether they allow stunning of animals prior to slaughter and hand slaughter versus mechanical slaughtering and Brunei's standard takes a purist approach, which is good. This makes it more difficult to apply because it's a higher standard so in some aspects of the market, there may be fewer people able to conform to that standard. People will conform to your standards if they want to sell their goods to you.
In a way does the standard become a slight disadvantage to Brunei?
Its disadvantage is that Brunei is a very small market so the number of people who would conform if they want to sell to Brunei is relatively small. Even in Malaysia, they've conformed to Malaysia to get their business but it's still not that big a market. If you're talking about the Gulf Cooperation Council, they have a huge buying power and the standard that they roll out is going to have a different kind of impact in the market, because food exporting markets who want to reach that market will learn to be compliant with the Middle Eastern standards.
What can Brunei focus on?
One of the approaches that came up during the conference and one of the discussions we had recently, in terms of certifying with non-meat products, is that Brunei be more focused on pharmaceuticals, ingredients, health care products, personal care products and non-meat products. The Brunei standard is actually much more suited to that because there's this quality control that matters more if you're looking at all the details. The Brunei standard doesn't just focus on the slaughtering process, but also on manufacturing and auditing procedures. It's comprehensive and very well done.
What niche markets are available in the halal industry?
Look at ingredients, pharmaceutical products, botanicals and things like that. It suits the industry and even some of the downstream products from oil and gas are getting into the field of pharma. I know there is interest from the Japanese to look at the production or packaging or branding of pharmaceutical products in the new industrial park. So a niche like that is somewhere that no one's really gone, and that plays more to Brunei's strengths, so you can leave the mainstream to other people because there's going to be fierce competition in that.
Could you elaborate more on this?
I discussed with Nestle last year, and I remember asking them what the biggest challenges are for expanding their halal production, and they said that the big challenges was going to find small ingredients like emulsifiers, colourings and all those little additives and getting halal sources for those are quite challenging. The industry in general is looking for meat substitutes for example, people are arguing about gelatin and how to source halal gelatin, but gelatin can be made from vegetable sources as well, so if you go there, then the question of whether it's halal or not doesn't really arise and those kind of opportunities present themselves to Brunei. Good joint ventures could come out of that.
You've said before that Brunei "needs to speed things up a bit".
On one hand you can say that Brunei is a bit slow, but on the other hand, it's not, and because I've worked with other countries on this, and they're just as slow. Funnily enough, Brunei's small size actually can become an advantage because they would be able to be a bit more nimble when it comes to adjusting to changes or focus or revisiting certain decisions and strategies with a small size. It should be easier to stay focused and move things along. To be honest, when I've looked at the progress being made in other countries, Brunei isn't any slower actually.
Can you give any examples of the events and activities that have been done that have made you think otherwise?
When I was here in 2006 for the first halal conference, there was no standard developed and by 2007, it was published and it was really well designed and a series of six books comprising of halal standard booklets, with syariah decisions on questions in the food industry, and those were really good products that were done in a really short period of time.
To be continued
The Brunei Times
Friday, August 22, 2008
HRH inspects progress of marine eco-tourism projects
HRH inspects progress of marine eco-tourism projects
Royal working visit: HRH Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah (L), the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, during his working visit to fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites yesterday. Also present were Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab (2nd R) and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail (R). Picture: Courtesy of infofotoBANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, August 22, 2008
HIS Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, continued his series of working visits yesterday with a tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR).
Upon his arrival at the site, the Crown Prince was greeted by Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Ahmad Hj Jumat and Deputy Minister Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail.
The visit was aimed at monitoring the progress and development of businesses and institutions, including the economic activities which are aligned with MIPR's efforts in promoting economic diversification.
The economic activities under the ministry are expected to generate opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), enhance the country's economic competitiveness in the international arena, and attract foreign direct investment to the country.
His Royal Highness' visit began with a tour of HT Enterprise, which handles the fisheries eco-tourism project.
The company, which also lists crab and fish breeding as its business activities, is among one of the successful participants of financial assistance through the Enterprise Facilitation Scheme from His Majesty's Government.
The company's site, located along Brunei Bay's mangrove forest swamp, is around 2.25 hectares in size and is expected to see the completion of construction of 15 chalets, a restaurant and the conference room by December this year.
The Crown Prince also took a closer look at the construction of chalets and other facilities at sites related to the project's implementation.
The visit then continued to the Fish Landing Centre in Muara where His Royal Highness boarded a special vehicle to continue the tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism sites located two nautical miles off the coast in surrounding Pilong-Pilongan Island.
Upon arrival, His Royal Highness was presented with a demonstration of enforcement operations by the Marine Police and Internal Security Division which secure and patrol the safety zone within 500 metres of restricted areas along oil and gas platforms and within Brunei waters.
The demonstration also included a fishing display orchestrated by two trawler fishing vessels which showed His Royal Highness the process and type of fishing that is carried out within the waters.
As of 2008, only 15 commercial trawlers are operating in Zone two (three to 20 nautical miles) in Brunei waters.
The maritime areas within the waters surrounding the Pilong-Pilongan Island are among the many locations rich with diverse marine life and has a high potential for resources within the fisheries industry.
The site has the potential to offer an estimated $27 million within the span of five years through various recreational activities, such as scuba diving, snorkelling, sport fishing and wildlife preservation.
Coral reefs within the area are also among the exotic locations off the west coast. It has been identified as one of the sites for the development of offshore cages for fish breeding with an estimated area of over 200 hectares.
His Royal Highness also took the opportunity to view the highlights that were transmitted through an undersea remote operating vehicle (ROV) followed by a scuba diving demonstration that showed monitoring and assessment procedures carried out to inspect the coral reefs. (SRH1)
The Brunei Times
Royal working visit: HRH Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah (L), the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, during his working visit to fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites yesterday. Also present were Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab (2nd R) and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail (R). Picture: Courtesy of infofotoBANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, August 22, 2008
HIS Royal Highness Prince Hj Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister's Office, continued his series of working visits yesterday with a tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism project sites under the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR).
Upon his arrival at the site, the Crown Prince was greeted by Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Ahmad Hj Jumat and Deputy Minister Dato Paduka Hj Hamdillah Hj Abd Wahab and Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister's Office Dato Seri Paduka Eusoff Agaki Hj Ismail.
The visit was aimed at monitoring the progress and development of businesses and institutions, including the economic activities which are aligned with MIPR's efforts in promoting economic diversification.
The economic activities under the ministry are expected to generate opportunities for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), enhance the country's economic competitiveness in the international arena, and attract foreign direct investment to the country.
His Royal Highness' visit began with a tour of HT Enterprise, which handles the fisheries eco-tourism project.
The company, which also lists crab and fish breeding as its business activities, is among one of the successful participants of financial assistance through the Enterprise Facilitation Scheme from His Majesty's Government.
The company's site, located along Brunei Bay's mangrove forest swamp, is around 2.25 hectares in size and is expected to see the completion of construction of 15 chalets, a restaurant and the conference room by December this year.
The Crown Prince also took a closer look at the construction of chalets and other facilities at sites related to the project's implementation.
The visit then continued to the Fish Landing Centre in Muara where His Royal Highness boarded a special vehicle to continue the tour of fishing and maritime eco-tourism sites located two nautical miles off the coast in surrounding Pilong-Pilongan Island.
Upon arrival, His Royal Highness was presented with a demonstration of enforcement operations by the Marine Police and Internal Security Division which secure and patrol the safety zone within 500 metres of restricted areas along oil and gas platforms and within Brunei waters.
The demonstration also included a fishing display orchestrated by two trawler fishing vessels which showed His Royal Highness the process and type of fishing that is carried out within the waters.
As of 2008, only 15 commercial trawlers are operating in Zone two (three to 20 nautical miles) in Brunei waters.
The maritime areas within the waters surrounding the Pilong-Pilongan Island are among the many locations rich with diverse marine life and has a high potential for resources within the fisheries industry.
The site has the potential to offer an estimated $27 million within the span of five years through various recreational activities, such as scuba diving, snorkelling, sport fishing and wildlife preservation.
Coral reefs within the area are also among the exotic locations off the west coast. It has been identified as one of the sites for the development of offshore cages for fish breeding with an estimated area of over 200 hectares.
His Royal Highness also took the opportunity to view the highlights that were transmitted through an undersea remote operating vehicle (ROV) followed by a scuba diving demonstration that showed monitoring and assessment procedures carried out to inspect the coral reefs. (SRH1)
The Brunei Times
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
ASEAN members viewed as "tiny blips" on investors' radar screens
From Monsters and Critics.com
Business News
ASEAN members viewed as "tiny blips" on investors' radar screens
By DPA
Aug 20, 2008, 6:17 GMT
Singapore - Members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are only 'tiny blips' on investors' radar screens compared to China and India, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Wednesday.
Opening the 29th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) session, Lee said the 10-member group has to struggle to get its share of investments, jobs and growth.
Through hosting the Beijing Olympic, China had shown the world the talents, energy and organizational prowess of its people, Lee said. 'India's economy too has considerable dynamism, and is moving up in terms of skills and technology,' he added.
ASEAN will become a single market and production base by 2015 as long as the organization adheres to its timetable, Lee said. 'To stay in the game, ASEAN must become a strong and integrated region.'
'Then collectively, we will form a bigger blip on the radar screens, and become a more attractive and worthwhile economic partner, whether for multinational corporations or other countries,' Lee said.
He also stressed the importance of all member states ratifying the ASEAN Charter which will turn the group into a rule-based legal entity. It has been ratified by seven members so far.
Future stability cannot be taken for granted, Lee said, citing the problems stemming from the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the failure of the latest round of the Doha trade negotiations in Geneva.
He urged the parliamentarians 'to stand firm against xenophobic attitudes, and to support policies which keep our economies open and integrated.'
ASEAN comprises Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
© Copyright 2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Business News
ASEAN members viewed as "tiny blips" on investors' radar screens
By DPA
Aug 20, 2008, 6:17 GMT
Singapore - Members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) are only 'tiny blips' on investors' radar screens compared to China and India, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Wednesday.
Opening the 29th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) session, Lee said the 10-member group has to struggle to get its share of investments, jobs and growth.
Through hosting the Beijing Olympic, China had shown the world the talents, energy and organizational prowess of its people, Lee said. 'India's economy too has considerable dynamism, and is moving up in terms of skills and technology,' he added.
ASEAN will become a single market and production base by 2015 as long as the organization adheres to its timetable, Lee said. 'To stay in the game, ASEAN must become a strong and integrated region.'
'Then collectively, we will form a bigger blip on the radar screens, and become a more attractive and worthwhile economic partner, whether for multinational corporations or other countries,' Lee said.
He also stressed the importance of all member states ratifying the ASEAN Charter which will turn the group into a rule-based legal entity. It has been ratified by seven members so far.
Future stability cannot be taken for granted, Lee said, citing the problems stemming from the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the failure of the latest round of the Doha trade negotiations in Geneva.
He urged the parliamentarians 'to stand firm against xenophobic attitudes, and to support policies which keep our economies open and integrated.'
ASEAN comprises Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.
© Copyright 2007 by monstersandcritics.com.
This notice cannot be removed without permission.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Brunei firm plans to launch 'Halalpedia'
Brunei firm plans to launch 'Halalpedia'
Hadi DP Mahmud
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, August 15, 2008
LOCAL firm Langford Media Network, which is responsible for what will be the world's first intellectual property (IP) online encyclopedia when it is launched next January, has announced plans to create a similar product catering exclusively to the halal community.
The aptly-named "Halalpedia", an online database and encyclopedia of halal brands across the globe, aims to allow the policing of valuable halal-related assets on the Internet. Its use is similar to that of "Bukapedia", which is still in the works, but is up-and-running as a mock-up at www.bukapedia.com (a username and password is required to enter).
"At first Bukapedia was supposed to be a 'general' encyclopedia but it became obvious to us once we saw what Brunei was trying to do as far as the Halal expo is concerned — so from that point on it became a very important part of the job," explained firm owner Ron Langford. When a halal brand, such as Ayamas, is found on Bukapedia, it will be repeated in the halal version.
Ron, who married Bruneian Beelian Langford last year, is a holder of significant IP assets and is the first in the world to own the right of using visual images to locate other websites.
His patents have been granted in four countries, including the US.
The couple, who plan to settle permanently in Brunei, said they will be promoting Bukapedia as a product going out of Brunei. The name "Bukapedia" is derived from the Malay word buka, which means "open".
A Malaysian web design team was hired to create the website, which features a comprehensive array of functions — from showing people (who are thinking of registering a trademark) "what they cannot copy" in terms of brand names or logos to related legal issues.
"There is nothing on the Internet now that comes close to having a dedicated site for IP," said Ron.
"We have the patent which allows us to display visual images which even Google doesn't have, so that's a major plus. The copyright alone for Bukapedia gives us the continuing sole right and the monopoly for at least the next 70 years."
He added, "Once you click on a logo, or any logo that appears in Bukapedia, you will be directed straight to the owner's website. And there's 180 countries that are part of the patent cooperation treaty complete with the details, and you will be directed to that patent and trademark office. Which means, this can save people from searching over 180 websites."
Bukapedia has been created with the endorsement of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, which has a directory of legal attorneys specialiszing in IP from all over the world.
"The other thing Bukapedia will do is, for people who want to register their trademark, they will be able to consult with this nominated law group," he said.
Langford Media Network will most likely use a Singaporean law firm that deals with IP issues as a core business function for dealing with legal matters — as there are none in Brunei which specialises in the area.
"Hopefully once we start, somebody will emerge. And then we'll do it out of Brunei because for example, Staedtler (writing instruments manufacturer) has spent US$330 million registering and maintaining their trademarks throughout the world," he said
"Now, that's just business, and it could go through Brunei. But somebody has to become experienced for that."
Ron's firm will also enlist the use of "spiders" to crawl over the Internet to monitor misuse of IP. "We will be able tell you if somebody is using the word 'Audi' for example," he said. What's next?
"We give the owners a monthly report. That will be part of Bukapedia's functions. We may be talking about a service that could cost $50 a month. They may be doing it in their own way, but they're probably spending $10,000 a month. It will be beneficial, especially for the smaller businesses."
The Brunei Times
Hadi DP Mahmud
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, August 15, 2008
LOCAL firm Langford Media Network, which is responsible for what will be the world's first intellectual property (IP) online encyclopedia when it is launched next January, has announced plans to create a similar product catering exclusively to the halal community.
The aptly-named "Halalpedia", an online database and encyclopedia of halal brands across the globe, aims to allow the policing of valuable halal-related assets on the Internet. Its use is similar to that of "Bukapedia", which is still in the works, but is up-and-running as a mock-up at www.bukapedia.com (a username and password is required to enter).
"At first Bukapedia was supposed to be a 'general' encyclopedia but it became obvious to us once we saw what Brunei was trying to do as far as the Halal expo is concerned — so from that point on it became a very important part of the job," explained firm owner Ron Langford. When a halal brand, such as Ayamas, is found on Bukapedia, it will be repeated in the halal version.
Ron, who married Bruneian Beelian Langford last year, is a holder of significant IP assets and is the first in the world to own the right of using visual images to locate other websites.
His patents have been granted in four countries, including the US.
The couple, who plan to settle permanently in Brunei, said they will be promoting Bukapedia as a product going out of Brunei. The name "Bukapedia" is derived from the Malay word buka, which means "open".
A Malaysian web design team was hired to create the website, which features a comprehensive array of functions — from showing people (who are thinking of registering a trademark) "what they cannot copy" in terms of brand names or logos to related legal issues.
"There is nothing on the Internet now that comes close to having a dedicated site for IP," said Ron.
"We have the patent which allows us to display visual images which even Google doesn't have, so that's a major plus. The copyright alone for Bukapedia gives us the continuing sole right and the monopoly for at least the next 70 years."
He added, "Once you click on a logo, or any logo that appears in Bukapedia, you will be directed straight to the owner's website. And there's 180 countries that are part of the patent cooperation treaty complete with the details, and you will be directed to that patent and trademark office. Which means, this can save people from searching over 180 websites."
Bukapedia has been created with the endorsement of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, which has a directory of legal attorneys specialiszing in IP from all over the world.
"The other thing Bukapedia will do is, for people who want to register their trademark, they will be able to consult with this nominated law group," he said.
Langford Media Network will most likely use a Singaporean law firm that deals with IP issues as a core business function for dealing with legal matters — as there are none in Brunei which specialises in the area.
"Hopefully once we start, somebody will emerge. And then we'll do it out of Brunei because for example, Staedtler (writing instruments manufacturer) has spent US$330 million registering and maintaining their trademarks throughout the world," he said
"Now, that's just business, and it could go through Brunei. But somebody has to become experienced for that."
Ron's firm will also enlist the use of "spiders" to crawl over the Internet to monitor misuse of IP. "We will be able tell you if somebody is using the word 'Audi' for example," he said. What's next?
"We give the owners a monthly report. That will be part of Bukapedia's functions. We may be talking about a service that could cost $50 a month. They may be doing it in their own way, but they're probably spending $10,000 a month. It will be beneficial, especially for the smaller businesses."
The Brunei Times
Thursday, July 31, 2008
WTO negotiations collapse
WTO negotiations collapse
Talk to the hand: WTO head Pascal Lamy gestures after the informal session during talks at the WTO headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Picture: EPAGENEVA
Thursday, July 31, 2008
MARATHON talks on a new global trade pact collapsed on Tuesday (early morning yesterday in Brunei) as the US and India refused to compromise over a proposal to help poor farmers deal with floods of imports.
Ministers from other countries expressed incredulity that the trade liberalisation talks could have foundered in their ninth day over a technical measure to restrict imports.
"Someone coming from another planet would not believe that after the progress made, we would not be able to conclude," Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said.
"This is a very painful failure and a real setback for the global economy at a time when we really needed some good news," EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said, adding that developing countries would suffer most.
The collapse could hurt business sentiment even if it will have no immediate impact on trade and could fuel protectionist sentiment, encourage more bilateral trade deals and call into question how the world will deal with complex issues like climate change and the food crisis.
The failure to reach a breakthrough at the World Trade Organisation after nearly seven years of talks means the prospects for resuming the Doha talks to free up world trade if they can be resuscitated after the setback could be put back several years.
But WTO chief Pascal Lamy said ministers wanted him to revive the talks quickly and he would not "throw in the towel".
Lamy said the deal would eventually have saved the world economy US$130 billion a year just in lower tariffs.
He called ministers from about 35 key WTO players to Geneva last week to seek a breakthrough in the Doha round, launched in late 2001 to boost the world economy and help developing countries export their way out of poverty.
Ministers reached about 80-85 per cent of an outline deal on the core areas of farm and industrial goods, he said.
But differences in these areas between rich and poor countries and importers and exporters proved too much to bridge.
The final stumbling block concerned the "special safeguard mechanism" a proposal to let developing countries raise farm tariffs in the face of a surge in imports or collapse in prices.
India and Indonesia said they needed the measure to protect millions of subsistence farmers from unexpected shocks arising from opening up their borders.
But the US feared its agribusinesses would lose new markets just as it made painful cuts in its farm subsidies.
Developing country food exporters like Costa Rica and Uruguay said the measure as framed would cut them off from key markets and even reduce existing trade.
"It's unfortunate in a development round, the last mile we couldn't run because of an issue concerning livelihood security," Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said.
The US and EU had also clashed with big emerging countries like India and China over flexible treatment for developing nations in cutting industrial tariffs.
US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said US offers for the talks remained on the table. "To ensure that the advances we made this week are not lost, the United States will continue to stand by our current offers, but we maintain that they are still contingent on others coming forward with ambitious offers that will create new market access. So far, that ambition is not evident," she said. Reuters
Talk to the hand: WTO head Pascal Lamy gestures after the informal session during talks at the WTO headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday. Picture: EPAGENEVA
Thursday, July 31, 2008
MARATHON talks on a new global trade pact collapsed on Tuesday (early morning yesterday in Brunei) as the US and India refused to compromise over a proposal to help poor farmers deal with floods of imports.
Ministers from other countries expressed incredulity that the trade liberalisation talks could have foundered in their ninth day over a technical measure to restrict imports.
"Someone coming from another planet would not believe that after the progress made, we would not be able to conclude," Brazil's Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said.
"This is a very painful failure and a real setback for the global economy at a time when we really needed some good news," EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said, adding that developing countries would suffer most.
The collapse could hurt business sentiment even if it will have no immediate impact on trade and could fuel protectionist sentiment, encourage more bilateral trade deals and call into question how the world will deal with complex issues like climate change and the food crisis.
The failure to reach a breakthrough at the World Trade Organisation after nearly seven years of talks means the prospects for resuming the Doha talks to free up world trade if they can be resuscitated after the setback could be put back several years.
But WTO chief Pascal Lamy said ministers wanted him to revive the talks quickly and he would not "throw in the towel".
Lamy said the deal would eventually have saved the world economy US$130 billion a year just in lower tariffs.
He called ministers from about 35 key WTO players to Geneva last week to seek a breakthrough in the Doha round, launched in late 2001 to boost the world economy and help developing countries export their way out of poverty.
Ministers reached about 80-85 per cent of an outline deal on the core areas of farm and industrial goods, he said.
But differences in these areas between rich and poor countries and importers and exporters proved too much to bridge.
The final stumbling block concerned the "special safeguard mechanism" a proposal to let developing countries raise farm tariffs in the face of a surge in imports or collapse in prices.
India and Indonesia said they needed the measure to protect millions of subsistence farmers from unexpected shocks arising from opening up their borders.
But the US feared its agribusinesses would lose new markets just as it made painful cuts in its farm subsidies.
Developing country food exporters like Costa Rica and Uruguay said the measure as framed would cut them off from key markets and even reduce existing trade.
"It's unfortunate in a development round, the last mile we couldn't run because of an issue concerning livelihood security," Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said.
The US and EU had also clashed with big emerging countries like India and China over flexible treatment for developing nations in cutting industrial tariffs.
US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said US offers for the talks remained on the table. "To ensure that the advances we made this week are not lost, the United States will continue to stand by our current offers, but we maintain that they are still contingent on others coming forward with ambitious offers that will create new market access. So far, that ambition is not evident," she said. Reuters
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Utilise technology to boost rice production
Utilise technology to boost rice production
Rice planting: If Brunei wants to be self-sufficient in rice production, it should utilise high-yielding seeds and machineries to boost production. Picture: BT file
Hadi DP Mahmud
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, July 26, 2008
LOCAL rice farmers should be making use of high-yielding seeds and mechanised farming to fast-track Brunei's scant production levels of the staple food towards self-sufficiency, the country's biggest rice distributor said.
The high-yielding seeds cost more than the pusu seeds traditionally used by most local rice farmers, but the resulting crops can be harvested two to three times a year, said Chai Yum Fatt, the general manager of Asia Enterprise.
A shift in the use of seeds by the majority of Brunei's rice farmers could increase Brunei's self-sufficiency in rice which stood at a paltry 3.2 per cent last year in a shorter span of time, said Chai.
"With five acres of land you can produce eight to 10 tonnes of crops using the high-quality seeds," he said. Pusu seeds, according to Chai, can only produce 2.5 tonnes of harvest from five acres of land.
Asia Enterprise, the sole commercial venture in the country's agricultural sector, acquires the seeds from China and Taiwan, which cost about US$2.80 per kilo. Chai said the company is currently testing out six to seven different types of high-yielding seeds since last year to determine which would grow best in Brunei soil and produce the best results for Brunei consumers.
"The seeds that we have tested tend to produce shorter crops, which in our opinion is easier to harvest. The pusu seeds produce taller crops, which are prone to damage from strong winds," he said.
Only a minority of the local farmers are testing out new types of seeds to boost production, he added.
Datin Hjh Hazizah Hj Adam, who has been running a rice farm in Labi, Belait District since 1995, said she took a risk by planting hybrid seeds provided by the Department of Agriculture three years ago.
"I think not many people are planting these seeds because they are unsure of the results that it will bring, whether the consumers would actually like the finished product," said Datin Hjh Hazizah, who now has a 30-acre field and grows both types of seeds.
"People have been buying both my products from my stall at the Sumbangsih Mulia Complex, and they seem to like it. Both types don't taste the same but are not too different. You just have to know how to promote your products, and always refer to the Agricultural Department for advice and support," she said.
When she first started out, no machinery was used to plough the fields, cut the grass or spray pesticides over the crops. Once she realised that her business was about to get serious, she applied for a grant for subsidies from the agricultural department for farming machinery to boost production. Fertilisers and pesticides are also subsidised by the government, said Datin Hjh Hazizah.
According to Chai, mechanised farming is uncommon amongst local farmers, where the use of technology is limited to some family businesses run by retirees and ex-army officers.
"There are some who don't believe in technology, since most of those involved in the sector are of the older generation. Since long ago they haven't been using fertilisers and such, let alone technology," explained Datin Hj Hazizah. "There are quite a few who are planting rice just to pass the time during their retirement years."
Brunei's agricultural sector recently received a wake-up call when His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam warned in his 62nd birthday titah that the Sultanate must step up agricultural production and make food security a priority.
The monarch's warning comes as global food prices rise, which earlier this year sparked riots and protests in some countries, and restrictions on food exports by others. According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), agriculture accounted for less than one per cent of Brunei's nominal gross domestic product in 2006. The country also imports more than 80 per cent of its food, the WTO said.
The Brunei Times
Rice planting: If Brunei wants to be self-sufficient in rice production, it should utilise high-yielding seeds and machineries to boost production. Picture: BT file
Hadi DP Mahmud
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, July 26, 2008
LOCAL rice farmers should be making use of high-yielding seeds and mechanised farming to fast-track Brunei's scant production levels of the staple food towards self-sufficiency, the country's biggest rice distributor said.
The high-yielding seeds cost more than the pusu seeds traditionally used by most local rice farmers, but the resulting crops can be harvested two to three times a year, said Chai Yum Fatt, the general manager of Asia Enterprise.
A shift in the use of seeds by the majority of Brunei's rice farmers could increase Brunei's self-sufficiency in rice which stood at a paltry 3.2 per cent last year in a shorter span of time, said Chai.
"With five acres of land you can produce eight to 10 tonnes of crops using the high-quality seeds," he said. Pusu seeds, according to Chai, can only produce 2.5 tonnes of harvest from five acres of land.
Asia Enterprise, the sole commercial venture in the country's agricultural sector, acquires the seeds from China and Taiwan, which cost about US$2.80 per kilo. Chai said the company is currently testing out six to seven different types of high-yielding seeds since last year to determine which would grow best in Brunei soil and produce the best results for Brunei consumers.
"The seeds that we have tested tend to produce shorter crops, which in our opinion is easier to harvest. The pusu seeds produce taller crops, which are prone to damage from strong winds," he said.
Only a minority of the local farmers are testing out new types of seeds to boost production, he added.
Datin Hjh Hazizah Hj Adam, who has been running a rice farm in Labi, Belait District since 1995, said she took a risk by planting hybrid seeds provided by the Department of Agriculture three years ago.
"I think not many people are planting these seeds because they are unsure of the results that it will bring, whether the consumers would actually like the finished product," said Datin Hjh Hazizah, who now has a 30-acre field and grows both types of seeds.
"People have been buying both my products from my stall at the Sumbangsih Mulia Complex, and they seem to like it. Both types don't taste the same but are not too different. You just have to know how to promote your products, and always refer to the Agricultural Department for advice and support," she said.
When she first started out, no machinery was used to plough the fields, cut the grass or spray pesticides over the crops. Once she realised that her business was about to get serious, she applied for a grant for subsidies from the agricultural department for farming machinery to boost production. Fertilisers and pesticides are also subsidised by the government, said Datin Hjh Hazizah.
According to Chai, mechanised farming is uncommon amongst local farmers, where the use of technology is limited to some family businesses run by retirees and ex-army officers.
"There are some who don't believe in technology, since most of those involved in the sector are of the older generation. Since long ago they haven't been using fertilisers and such, let alone technology," explained Datin Hj Hazizah. "There are quite a few who are planting rice just to pass the time during their retirement years."
Brunei's agricultural sector recently received a wake-up call when His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam warned in his 62nd birthday titah that the Sultanate must step up agricultural production and make food security a priority.
The monarch's warning comes as global food prices rise, which earlier this year sparked riots and protests in some countries, and restrictions on food exports by others. According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), agriculture accounted for less than one per cent of Brunei's nominal gross domestic product in 2006. The country also imports more than 80 per cent of its food, the WTO said.
The Brunei Times
Saturday, June 7, 2008
'Family' feeds on eco-tourism
'Family' feeds on eco-tourism
Rainforest trek: Tourists and representatives from The Brunei Tourism Board take snapshots on the suspension bridge at the Ulu Temburong National Park. Eco-tourism is taking root in the country, with more and more tourists looking for newer tour packages. Picture: BT file photoSobrina Rosli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, June 7, 2008
PASSION for Brunei's green jewels is what has kept Mona FloraFauna Tours Enterprise up and running, struggling to sustain what it has begun without forgetting the value of protecting the nation's natural and valued blessings.
Mona FloraFauna Tours Enterprise, one of Brunei's very own inbound tour operators, has been offering eco-tourism services and packages for the last six years. It was granted a licence to operate in 2002 after convincing the Brunei Tourism Board of its capabilities to venture into a different breed of tourism.
"When I was given the licence to operate as an inbound tour operator I was so happy. We started with zero capital, (with) just knowledge to start with," says managing director Muhd Daud Abdullah, also known as 'Jungle Dave'.
The enterprise' priority from the start, he says, was to involve villages in its growth.
"Each village has its own skills and experiences that are valuable to our tourism plans. Even until today we are still discovering new things about Brunei," he says.
A case in point, he says, is the development in Kampung Supon of the Tutong district with Muslim Iban senior citizens at the Kebubuk Longhouse.
"Their skills are just amazing. I stayed with them to learn and experience their lifestyle" while engaging residents in an effort to identify tourist hotspots within the village, including a gigantic tree.
"They showed me the coompasia tree with a buttress root two storeys high, about 40 metres," he says.
"I asked what would happen if anyone wanted to cut down that tree. I found out that the villagers would do anything to protect that tree. They would die with the tree. I said wow! These are the people I want to work with," he adds.
Within the village he also identified a forest area with more than 30 species of Borneo orchids.
"It is near to impossible to find 30 species of orchids in one area, but Brunei has that untouched."
He credits the company's growth to his passion and the interest of his staff in nature preservation. He values and treats staff like family members.
"For my family members here when I hired them, honestly, they had no interest (in the venture) at all. Bruneians have wrong perceptions where they do not want to work in the private sector," he says.
"But it all depends on individual companies, on how they train and treat the staff."
He trains his staff through practical mechanisms from being in the forest to experience and learn to identify different plants and trees.
"They follow me into the jungle and (I) teach them about various herbs, plants and animals. The things they learn is something new to them, it is not like in television, it's real," he says.
At the moment the enterprise has 13 guides, with another 32 community guides hired at the villages.
"Most of the community guides are unemployed youths from the villages, (we provide) training for them," he says.
Muhd Daud says his enterprise still has a long way to go despite its established presence.
"We started with zero financial back up. We work hard where most of our money is being used for investments into facilities and salaries. Enough to cover expenses."
He looks back to that time when his enterprise wanted to close down.
"We lost hope at one point in 2005. All our family members sat down together and considered whether to pack up and find a job, but all the family members wanted it to continue."
His outlook for next year's performance is much more positive with several foreign tour operators scheduled to bring in tourist groups. The company has already had tourists coming in from Australia, Europe and New Zealand.
Other than depending on foreign tourists the company also promotes itself locally.
"For the government sector sometimes we groundhandle for VIPs coming into the country as well as to cater for private companies on trips.
"This is our sixth year of business. When we reach 10 years, we will call it fruiting for 10 years. We have another four years to achieve this,"
The Brunei Times
Rainforest trek: Tourists and representatives from The Brunei Tourism Board take snapshots on the suspension bridge at the Ulu Temburong National Park. Eco-tourism is taking root in the country, with more and more tourists looking for newer tour packages. Picture: BT file photoSobrina Rosli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Saturday, June 7, 2008
PASSION for Brunei's green jewels is what has kept Mona FloraFauna Tours Enterprise up and running, struggling to sustain what it has begun without forgetting the value of protecting the nation's natural and valued blessings.
Mona FloraFauna Tours Enterprise, one of Brunei's very own inbound tour operators, has been offering eco-tourism services and packages for the last six years. It was granted a licence to operate in 2002 after convincing the Brunei Tourism Board of its capabilities to venture into a different breed of tourism.
"When I was given the licence to operate as an inbound tour operator I was so happy. We started with zero capital, (with) just knowledge to start with," says managing director Muhd Daud Abdullah, also known as 'Jungle Dave'.
The enterprise' priority from the start, he says, was to involve villages in its growth.
"Each village has its own skills and experiences that are valuable to our tourism plans. Even until today we are still discovering new things about Brunei," he says.
A case in point, he says, is the development in Kampung Supon of the Tutong district with Muslim Iban senior citizens at the Kebubuk Longhouse.
"Their skills are just amazing. I stayed with them to learn and experience their lifestyle" while engaging residents in an effort to identify tourist hotspots within the village, including a gigantic tree.
"They showed me the coompasia tree with a buttress root two storeys high, about 40 metres," he says.
"I asked what would happen if anyone wanted to cut down that tree. I found out that the villagers would do anything to protect that tree. They would die with the tree. I said wow! These are the people I want to work with," he adds.
Within the village he also identified a forest area with more than 30 species of Borneo orchids.
"It is near to impossible to find 30 species of orchids in one area, but Brunei has that untouched."
He credits the company's growth to his passion and the interest of his staff in nature preservation. He values and treats staff like family members.
"For my family members here when I hired them, honestly, they had no interest (in the venture) at all. Bruneians have wrong perceptions where they do not want to work in the private sector," he says.
"But it all depends on individual companies, on how they train and treat the staff."
He trains his staff through practical mechanisms from being in the forest to experience and learn to identify different plants and trees.
"They follow me into the jungle and (I) teach them about various herbs, plants and animals. The things they learn is something new to them, it is not like in television, it's real," he says.
At the moment the enterprise has 13 guides, with another 32 community guides hired at the villages.
"Most of the community guides are unemployed youths from the villages, (we provide) training for them," he says.
Muhd Daud says his enterprise still has a long way to go despite its established presence.
"We started with zero financial back up. We work hard where most of our money is being used for investments into facilities and salaries. Enough to cover expenses."
He looks back to that time when his enterprise wanted to close down.
"We lost hope at one point in 2005. All our family members sat down together and considered whether to pack up and find a job, but all the family members wanted it to continue."
His outlook for next year's performance is much more positive with several foreign tour operators scheduled to bring in tourist groups. The company has already had tourists coming in from Australia, Europe and New Zealand.
Other than depending on foreign tourists the company also promotes itself locally.
"For the government sector sometimes we groundhandle for VIPs coming into the country as well as to cater for private companies on trips.
"This is our sixth year of business. When we reach 10 years, we will call it fruiting for 10 years. We have another four years to achieve this,"
The Brunei Times
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Prescriptions to speed up diversification
Prescriptions to speed up diversification
Oil drill: This oil rig in the Belait district is a familiar sight and a reminder of Brunei's oil wealth. Picture: Rudolf PortilloFinaz Daniel
BRUNEI-MUARA
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wide-ranging set of reforms proposed by two experts
TWO experts who looked into the causes of the slow pace in the diversification of Brunei's economy recommended wide-ranging reforms to speed up the process.The recommendations range from rationalising the bureaucracy, including reducing the salaries and benefits of government employees, cutting red tape, improving human resources, encouraging the youth to take up entrepreneurship to improving infrastructure, building an enabling business environment, strengthening the corporate sector and easing the way for the entry of foreign investors.
The recommendations were outlined during a roundtable yesterday organised by private think tank Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS), with support from Asia Inc Forum,
at the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Participants heard from Manu Bhaskaran from Singapore-based consultant Centennial Asia Advisors Pte Ltd and Dr Mark Crosby of the Melbourne Business School, the two experts brought in to look at Brunei's situation.
Speakers and experts from various industries were also present to comment on the findings.
The speakers' reports offered a platform for the participants to discuss where Brunei stands, its strengths and weaknesses as well as uncover areas of possibilities beyond that of the oil and gas industry.
Brunei "offers a sound, stable and secure economic climate to encourage foreign direct investors as well as fuel the growth of local SMEs to expand locally and internationally," said Dato Paduka Mohd Alimin Abdul Wahab, acting chairman of CSPS, in his welcoming remarks.
Brunei, he said, "has to move forward in considering our economic policy", noting oil reserves may run out in 30 years.
Old and new ideas and perspectives on areas to succeed in and how to overcome the challenges and diversify the economy were discussed during the roundtable, such as the potential the sultanate holds in becoming an international financial centre for Islamic banking, securities and insurance.
Crosby recommended for the government to consider rationalising the bureaucracy and reforming the public sector, including cutting red tape, and reducing the salaries and benefits of government employees.
He also stressed the need to improve Brunei's human resources, setting up a programme to encourage the youth to become entrepreneurs and improving infrastructure.
Centennial Asia Advisors' Bhaskaran, meanwhile, proposed more focus in building an enabling business environment, strengthening the corporate sector and building strategies to encourage the entry of foreign direct investments.
He also pointed out the need for a human capital element that will support Brunei's economic diversification in the long term.
Vincent Cheong, chief executive officer of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), also delivered a presentation on Brunei's Economic Outlook through 2009.
He pointed to the challenges that were faced in developing a number of projects, citing logistics, which is one of the key factors of implementation.
Cheong also said that some of the larger government projects are being divided into too many small parts that are too insignificant to make a dent in the market and "not massive enough to be commercially viable".
The roundtable brought together some 150 stakeholders, policymakers, members of both the public and private sectors, together with experts.
Roundtable panelists included Dato Paduka Timothy Ong, acting chairman of BEDB; Pengiran Hjh Mariana PDNLDR Pengiran Hj Abdul Momin, acting permanent secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources; Dr Roger Lawrey, deputy dean of Universiti Brunei Darussalam; and Hj Shazali Dato Hj Sulaiman of the International Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Brunei Times
Oil drill: This oil rig in the Belait district is a familiar sight and a reminder of Brunei's oil wealth. Picture: Rudolf PortilloFinaz Daniel
BRUNEI-MUARA
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Wide-ranging set of reforms proposed by two experts
TWO experts who looked into the causes of the slow pace in the diversification of Brunei's economy recommended wide-ranging reforms to speed up the process.The recommendations range from rationalising the bureaucracy, including reducing the salaries and benefits of government employees, cutting red tape, improving human resources, encouraging the youth to take up entrepreneurship to improving infrastructure, building an enabling business environment, strengthening the corporate sector and easing the way for the entry of foreign investors.
The recommendations were outlined during a roundtable yesterday organised by private think tank Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS), with support from Asia Inc Forum,
at the Empire Hotel and Country Club.
Participants heard from Manu Bhaskaran from Singapore-based consultant Centennial Asia Advisors Pte Ltd and Dr Mark Crosby of the Melbourne Business School, the two experts brought in to look at Brunei's situation.
Speakers and experts from various industries were also present to comment on the findings.
The speakers' reports offered a platform for the participants to discuss where Brunei stands, its strengths and weaknesses as well as uncover areas of possibilities beyond that of the oil and gas industry.
Brunei "offers a sound, stable and secure economic climate to encourage foreign direct investors as well as fuel the growth of local SMEs to expand locally and internationally," said Dato Paduka Mohd Alimin Abdul Wahab, acting chairman of CSPS, in his welcoming remarks.
Brunei, he said, "has to move forward in considering our economic policy", noting oil reserves may run out in 30 years.
Old and new ideas and perspectives on areas to succeed in and how to overcome the challenges and diversify the economy were discussed during the roundtable, such as the potential the sultanate holds in becoming an international financial centre for Islamic banking, securities and insurance.
Crosby recommended for the government to consider rationalising the bureaucracy and reforming the public sector, including cutting red tape, and reducing the salaries and benefits of government employees.
He also stressed the need to improve Brunei's human resources, setting up a programme to encourage the youth to become entrepreneurs and improving infrastructure.
Centennial Asia Advisors' Bhaskaran, meanwhile, proposed more focus in building an enabling business environment, strengthening the corporate sector and building strategies to encourage the entry of foreign direct investments.
He also pointed out the need for a human capital element that will support Brunei's economic diversification in the long term.
Vincent Cheong, chief executive officer of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), also delivered a presentation on Brunei's Economic Outlook through 2009.
He pointed to the challenges that were faced in developing a number of projects, citing logistics, which is one of the key factors of implementation.
Cheong also said that some of the larger government projects are being divided into too many small parts that are too insignificant to make a dent in the market and "not massive enough to be commercially viable".
The roundtable brought together some 150 stakeholders, policymakers, members of both the public and private sectors, together with experts.
Roundtable panelists included Dato Paduka Timothy Ong, acting chairman of BEDB; Pengiran Hjh Mariana PDNLDR Pengiran Hj Abdul Momin, acting permanent secretary at the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources; Dr Roger Lawrey, deputy dean of Universiti Brunei Darussalam; and Hj Shazali Dato Hj Sulaiman of the International Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Brunei Times
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Brunei probes reasons for slow economic diversification
Brunei probes reasons for slow economic diversification
Sobrina Rosli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Think-tank gets expert help to examine what ails process
THE Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) has engaged two consultants to help look into the causes of the slow pace in Brunei's march to economic diversification.
The results of the two separate research studies carried out by Manu Bhaskaran of Centennial Asia Advisers from Singapore and Dr Mark Crosby, associate dean at the Melbourne Business School from Australia, will be presented during a roundtable soon.
Dr Crosby came up with several recommendations on bureaucracy and public sector reforms. His findings cover issues on red tape, expertise proportion in the government sector as well as income and benefit concession.
In his research he underlined the significance of human resource reform and the expansion of the local university and the availability of other type of educational institutions with offerings such as young entrepreneur programmes.
Bhaskaran's recommendations include a call to ease opportunities in the local business setting. This would allow the strengthening of the corporate sector and strategies to improve Brunei's chances to lure foreign direct investments.
Bhaskaran also stressed on the importance of the human capital supporting Brunei's economic diversification initiatives in the long run.
In an interview with The Brunei Times, Dr Azaharaini Mohd Jamil, executive director at CSPS, said he regards the availability of information as a core factor towards future innovation while enhancing decision making at all government levels.
"When you have no data or information then you are ... reluctant to make decisions. This goes to various levels of planning. If you want to plan, you would need facts and figures," he said.
He also noted the absence of motivation amongst Bruneians "to want or initiate change", saying that most Bruneians, when they see don't see reward prospects, would not see the need to change.
This creates "roadblocks" in various levels within the government sector, said Dr Azaharaini.
"People at higher levels, we find, are open minded. They want to change, making statements to change," he said.
"It is those who are implementing it who are probably not well advised creating a roadblock in an old run system," he added.
Another element is the level of coordination amongst the relevant agencies.
"It is not to say it is not coordinated, but it is not well coordinated. The result sometimes is the duplication of efforts and resources. Ministries doing the same thing when efforts can actually be combined," he said.
Dr Azaharaini also raised concerns about impartiality in decision-making in Brunei.
"Brunei is a small society. The goal in any decision-making here is to try and please and meet the needs of everyone," he said.
In bigger countries, impartiality is easier to achieve, he said. "When they are able to satisfy the needs of 80 per cent of their stakeholders, it is already considered good enough," he said.
"In the Brunei context, that 20 per cent you ignore could be a relative, making it hard for some to make decisions, slowing down the process. As far as possible satisfy the needs of everyone. (But) it is not possible," he said
Brunei's think-tank CSPS will be holding a Brunei Economic Diversification Roundtable on June 4. The event will be organised by the centre in collaboration with Asia Inc Forum. The one-day event will allow researchers to present their findings followed by commentators responding to their findings and recommendations.
The Brunei Times
Sobrina Rosli
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Think-tank gets expert help to examine what ails process
THE Centre for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) has engaged two consultants to help look into the causes of the slow pace in Brunei's march to economic diversification.
The results of the two separate research studies carried out by Manu Bhaskaran of Centennial Asia Advisers from Singapore and Dr Mark Crosby, associate dean at the Melbourne Business School from Australia, will be presented during a roundtable soon.
Dr Crosby came up with several recommendations on bureaucracy and public sector reforms. His findings cover issues on red tape, expertise proportion in the government sector as well as income and benefit concession.
In his research he underlined the significance of human resource reform and the expansion of the local university and the availability of other type of educational institutions with offerings such as young entrepreneur programmes.
Bhaskaran's recommendations include a call to ease opportunities in the local business setting. This would allow the strengthening of the corporate sector and strategies to improve Brunei's chances to lure foreign direct investments.
Bhaskaran also stressed on the importance of the human capital supporting Brunei's economic diversification initiatives in the long run.
In an interview with The Brunei Times, Dr Azaharaini Mohd Jamil, executive director at CSPS, said he regards the availability of information as a core factor towards future innovation while enhancing decision making at all government levels.
"When you have no data or information then you are ... reluctant to make decisions. This goes to various levels of planning. If you want to plan, you would need facts and figures," he said.
He also noted the absence of motivation amongst Bruneians "to want or initiate change", saying that most Bruneians, when they see don't see reward prospects, would not see the need to change.
This creates "roadblocks" in various levels within the government sector, said Dr Azaharaini.
"People at higher levels, we find, are open minded. They want to change, making statements to change," he said.
"It is those who are implementing it who are probably not well advised creating a roadblock in an old run system," he added.
Another element is the level of coordination amongst the relevant agencies.
"It is not to say it is not coordinated, but it is not well coordinated. The result sometimes is the duplication of efforts and resources. Ministries doing the same thing when efforts can actually be combined," he said.
Dr Azaharaini also raised concerns about impartiality in decision-making in Brunei.
"Brunei is a small society. The goal in any decision-making here is to try and please and meet the needs of everyone," he said.
In bigger countries, impartiality is easier to achieve, he said. "When they are able to satisfy the needs of 80 per cent of their stakeholders, it is already considered good enough," he said.
"In the Brunei context, that 20 per cent you ignore could be a relative, making it hard for some to make decisions, slowing down the process. As far as possible satisfy the needs of everyone. (But) it is not possible," he said
Brunei's think-tank CSPS will be holding a Brunei Economic Diversification Roundtable on June 4. The event will be organised by the centre in collaboration with Asia Inc Forum. The one-day event will allow researchers to present their findings followed by commentators responding to their findings and recommendations.
The Brunei Times
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Steady decline in oil-rich Brunei's per capita income
Steady decline in oil-rich Brunei's per capita income
SINGAPORE
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Slow fall prompts govt to invest more in education and technology
A STEADY decline in Brunei's per capita income has highlighted the need to make investments beyond its oil and gas resources, a senior economic official from the sultanate said yesterday.
The slow fall in per capita income has prompted the government to step up its investment in education and technology, said Timothy Ong, acting chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board.
Brunei was probably the wealthiest country in the world in 1980 in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, he said at a forum in Singapore.
While Brunei remains a wealthy country, it has slipped considerably to rank 34th worldwide in terms of per capita income, Ong said at the forum organised by the London School of Economics.
The World Trade Organisation, in a recent report, put Brunei's income per capita at US$30,000 ($41,000), still one of the highest in Asia. Brunei has a population of fewer than 400,000 citizens.
"Despite our abundance of natural resources which have made us, in per capita terms, probably one of the largest exporters of crude oil in the world and the fourth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas... we have experienced over the last decade or more a slow but steady decline in per capita income," Ong said.
This prompted His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, to launch a long-term economic plan aimed at putting the country in the top 10 in terms of income per capita and quality of life by 2035, Ong said.
The plan, called Vision 2035, was an acknowledgement "of the importance of knowledge and innovation as the basis for sustainable economic growth", he said.
It was also in recognition "of the fact that natural resources itself cannot assure a sustainable economic future," he added.
Ong said that while Asia has recovered from a financial crisis that struck 10 years ago, the region needs to narrow economic and social disparities which remain, and in some cases, have widened.
"The evidence suggests that the future lies with those Asian societies most able to acquire and apply knowledge, most nurturing of creativity and innovation (and) most able to retain and nurture talented human resources," he said.
Brunei is the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and Malaysia, and the world's fourth-largest producer of liquefied natural gas, according to the Brunei Yearbook 2007, which says reserves are expected to last for at least two more decades based on current production rates.
AFP
SINGAPORE
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Slow fall prompts govt to invest more in education and technology
A STEADY decline in Brunei's per capita income has highlighted the need to make investments beyond its oil and gas resources, a senior economic official from the sultanate said yesterday.
The slow fall in per capita income has prompted the government to step up its investment in education and technology, said Timothy Ong, acting chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board.
Brunei was probably the wealthiest country in the world in 1980 in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, he said at a forum in Singapore.
While Brunei remains a wealthy country, it has slipped considerably to rank 34th worldwide in terms of per capita income, Ong said at the forum organised by the London School of Economics.
The World Trade Organisation, in a recent report, put Brunei's income per capita at US$30,000 ($41,000), still one of the highest in Asia. Brunei has a population of fewer than 400,000 citizens.
"Despite our abundance of natural resources which have made us, in per capita terms, probably one of the largest exporters of crude oil in the world and the fourth largest exporter of liquefied natural gas... we have experienced over the last decade or more a slow but steady decline in per capita income," Ong said.
This prompted His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, to launch a long-term economic plan aimed at putting the country in the top 10 in terms of income per capita and quality of life by 2035, Ong said.
The plan, called Vision 2035, was an acknowledgement "of the importance of knowledge and innovation as the basis for sustainable economic growth", he said.
It was also in recognition "of the fact that natural resources itself cannot assure a sustainable economic future," he added.
Ong said that while Asia has recovered from a financial crisis that struck 10 years ago, the region needs to narrow economic and social disparities which remain, and in some cases, have widened.
"The evidence suggests that the future lies with those Asian societies most able to acquire and apply knowledge, most nurturing of creativity and innovation (and) most able to retain and nurture talented human resources," he said.
Brunei is the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and Malaysia, and the world's fourth-largest producer of liquefied natural gas, according to the Brunei Yearbook 2007, which says reserves are expected to last for at least two more decades based on current production rates.
AFP
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monodon project to boost local shrimp industry
Monodon project to boost local shrimp industry
Into global market: A local fishmonger showing off his catch for sale. Picture: BT file photo
IZAM SAID YA'AKUB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Monday, March 31, 2008
THE anticipated arrival of a Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) Black Tiger shrimp being bred in Brunei could carve a niche in international high value seafood markets.
During the Sixth Aquaculture Seminar organised by the Fisheries Department on Saturday, the local shrimp industry was informed that the SPF process is nearly complete with genetically improved post-larvae available in September.
Dr George Chamberlain, Technical Director of Integrated Aquaculture International (IAI) disclosed the information in his update of the three-year project which has seen the IAI develop advanced aquaculture technology to produce large black tiger shrimp for export.
Stocks of black tiger shrimp have been established and moved from primary quarantine to secondary quarantine toward potential SPF status.
Once established, the breeding of SPF black tiger shrimp will be set to begin, marking a new chapter in the history of Brunei's fairly infant shrimp industry.
The importance of the SPF black tiger shrimp, which is also known as Penaeus monodon, to Brunei shrimp industry revolves around the challenges faced by the local shrimp farmers.
High costs for post larvae, feed and labour, coupled with low international prices for shrimp means that for exports will need to target a different market.
During the seminar, Dr Chamberlain outlined that the industry needs to "produce large high value shrimp for the premium markets".
The Monodon is a larger shrimp and even locally is sought after, however despite being on the verge of something potentially big, Brunei will also need to convince the International market.
Plans to acquire Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and EU Certifications are also in the pipeline, with continuing contacts with large buyers in North America and participation in international seafood shows and markets are also ongoing to further develop the brand image of Brunei's shrimp.
The results of the venture between IAI and the Department of Fisheries are not mutually exclusive to specific-pathogen-free shrimp but also genetically-improved post-larvae, high-performing feeds, and sustainable farming systems and techniques aimed to produce quality shrimp for premium markets.
The Brunei Times
Into global market: A local fishmonger showing off his catch for sale. Picture: BT file photo
IZAM SAID YA'AKUB
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Monday, March 31, 2008
THE anticipated arrival of a Specific Pathogen Free (SPF) Black Tiger shrimp being bred in Brunei could carve a niche in international high value seafood markets.
During the Sixth Aquaculture Seminar organised by the Fisheries Department on Saturday, the local shrimp industry was informed that the SPF process is nearly complete with genetically improved post-larvae available in September.
Dr George Chamberlain, Technical Director of Integrated Aquaculture International (IAI) disclosed the information in his update of the three-year project which has seen the IAI develop advanced aquaculture technology to produce large black tiger shrimp for export.
Stocks of black tiger shrimp have been established and moved from primary quarantine to secondary quarantine toward potential SPF status.
Once established, the breeding of SPF black tiger shrimp will be set to begin, marking a new chapter in the history of Brunei's fairly infant shrimp industry.
The importance of the SPF black tiger shrimp, which is also known as Penaeus monodon, to Brunei shrimp industry revolves around the challenges faced by the local shrimp farmers.
High costs for post larvae, feed and labour, coupled with low international prices for shrimp means that for exports will need to target a different market.
During the seminar, Dr Chamberlain outlined that the industry needs to "produce large high value shrimp for the premium markets".
The Monodon is a larger shrimp and even locally is sought after, however despite being on the verge of something potentially big, Brunei will also need to convince the International market.
Plans to acquire Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and EU Certifications are also in the pipeline, with continuing contacts with large buyers in North America and participation in international seafood shows and markets are also ongoing to further develop the brand image of Brunei's shrimp.
The results of the venture between IAI and the Department of Fisheries are not mutually exclusive to specific-pathogen-free shrimp but also genetically-improved post-larvae, high-performing feeds, and sustainable farming systems and techniques aimed to produce quality shrimp for premium markets.
The Brunei Times
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