Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei's strength is there in the business of agrifood and thus, it was appropriate to rename the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood (DAA), Director Hjh Normah Suria Hayati PJDSM DSU (Dr) Hj Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri told The Brunei Times yesterday.

During the opening of the Agriculture and Agrifood Expo 2009 on Thursday, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam made the announcement on the changes to the name, saying that the processes of producing food directly involved agriculture.

In a phone interview, Hjh Normah said that processed food products were everywhere in everyday life and the department had always recognised the significance of agrifood and the opportunities it held for the country.

"We have been taking up the development and promotion of agrifood aggressively and now it is reflected in our name," she said.

The director explained that it was one of the four flagship projects that the department underlined in its strategic plan. As an added-value product, agrifood was identified to have great potential to be developed by the country.

Even as the raw ingredients are imported from primary producer countries such as China, Vietnam and Thailand, it was hoped that Brunei could find a niche in the processing and marketing the agrifood products under the Brunei Halal Brand.

Brunei's agrifood products fetched $52.53 million in 2008. The department aims to increase this production output by five-fold to $340 million in 2013.

To achieve this ambition, the department will systematically implement its projects stipulated under the National Development Plan, which assist and encourage local agrifood entrepreneurs to produce high quality products that are safe, halal-certified and can compete in the international arena

"We have been promoting agriculture as a way of life and our plans include agrifood. (The change of name of our department) fits what we are doing and what we want to achieve," Hjh Normah said.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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