Agriculture A Thriving Sector In Co-Operatives
By Husain HJ

Bandar Seri Begawan - For the third consecutive year, Brunei Darussalam took part in a business executive seminar in neighbouring Sarawak.

Such participation and seminar were made possible by the warm relationship between the two neighbours and were further expedited by the formalisation of the memorandum of understanding between BINA and CCM inked in July last year.

The event, carrying the theme "Generating Cooperative Economic Excellence in Agricultural Sector", was one of eight programmes earmarked this year for co-operatives in Sarawak.

It was organised by the Sarawak branch of Cooperative College of Malaysia (CCM) and took place at the Imperial Hotel in Miri last Saturday.

The seminar was officially launched by CCM director-general, Kamaluddin Othman.

In his opening speech, Kamaluddin urged cooperatives to fully utilise agricultural land allocated to realise Malaysian government vision to become an exporter of agricultural products by the year 2010, with a targeted economic growth rate of five per cent annually.

"With opportunities abound, Malaysian cooperatives could grasp the wealth distribution in thriving agricultural sector along with other major players."

He said Fontera Co-operative Group, a leading New Zealand co-operative, is a good example of a highly successful entity, which holds the lion's share of the world's dairy products, making it the fifth major producer in the global market.

Some 60 co-operative members from 17 cooperatives, representing the retail, transportation, agriculture and other sectors from Brunei, attended the one-day seminar.

Three working papers were presented by three speakers on agricultural scenario from Sarawak's perspectives.

"The seminar gave us vital sharing session with other participants. Through this informal interaction, we learnt some aspects of business strategies applicable to our daily transactions. I foresee agriculture sector is one of them," concluded Dr Saiful Azmi Hj Husain, chairman of Koperasi Universiti Brunei Darussalam Bhd at the end of the event.

Dr Saiful Azmi, who is also Gabungan Nasional Bhd (GKN) secretary, implored Brunei participants to incorporate the knowledge and vast experience acquired from their counterparts to enhance their level of entrepreneurship approaches, thus opening the doors for better possession of skills and business-oriented management.

Brunei delegation was led by assistant commissioner of Co-operative Development Division of BINA, Obinchin Bayan.

GKN vice-president, Pehin Col (Rtd) Dato Paduka Hj Mandini and other notable co-operative figures were among the participants from Brunei who attended the seminar. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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