Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar delivers his speech during the closing ceremony of Agriculture and Agrifood Expo 2009 at the Tungku Agricultural Development Area. Picture: BT/ Salfulizam

Bandar Seri Begawan - The Minister of Industry and Primary Resources has called upon the relevant authorities to speed up the preparations of the site for the future Agro-Technology Park (ATP) so that its development will go according to plan.

Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar made this call during the thanksgiving ceremony to mark the successful closing of the Agriculture and Agrifood Expo 2009 yesterday at the Tungku Agricultural Development Area.

Hjh Normah Suria Hayati PJDSM DSU (Dr) Hj Mohd Jamil Al-Sufri, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood (DAA), said the groundbreaking ceremony for the park is scheduled to take place sometime in February next year. The Agriculture and Agrifood Expo 2009 was actually situated in a tenth of the park site, she said.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, the DAA director said that in response to the minister's call, the department would work to fast-track the development of the 500-hectare park.

The minister said that the ATP was intended to boost the development of the agriculture sector and create employment for Bruneians.

"I hope that in the future the Agro-Technology Park will become a pinnacle of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources' success as well as (act as) a catalyst for innovation in agriculture and agrifood," he said

The minister highlighted that the ATP would contribute significantly to the transition from traditional agricultural practices to more modern, high-technology methods, which could become an attraction in agricultural development in not only regional, but also international forums such as the AMAF (Asean Ministers for Agriculture and Forestry).

The Agro-Technology Park is also hoped to help out or complement the development of science and technology related to innovation in agriculture towards accomplishing the national vision of local capacity building," he said.

The thanksgiving ceremony yesterday also marked the conclusion of the 31st AMAF meeting and the ninth AMAF Plus Three meeting, which Brunei hosted recently.

The minister expressed his gratitude towards all those involved, either directly or indirectly, in these two major events.

He also congratulated them on the successful organisation of both events.

Pehin Dato Hj Yahya further congratulated the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood on its change in name from its former name of Department of Agriculture, which was announced by His Majesty the Sultan and yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam during the expo's opening on November 19.

The minister said he firmly believed that this change displays the confidence the monarch has in the department in advancing the agriculture sector in the country.

"The department's change in name surely reflects the importance of the direction that the development of the agriculture sector will take in the future, which will be in (the sector's) main role of achieving food security in this country through the production of local agricultural commodities," he said.

During the thanksgiving ceremony, the minister also presented prizes to winners of various competitions and contests held during the 12-day expo, which ran from November 19 to 30.

These included winners of Best Orchid, Bonsai and other ornamental plants as well as fruit competitions. Colouring, photography, drawing contests and quizzes were also conducted during the expo. -- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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