I would like to refer to the comments made by Pg Hj Abd Rahman Pg Hj Omar in the Opinion page dated December 1, 2012 regarding Brunei's Department of Agriculture & Agrifood production in 2011. A statistical comparison was made between Brunei Darussalam and the neighbouring Malaysian state of Sabah. Realistically, is it unfair to make such a comparison, as we are not comparing an apple to an apple.

We should take into account the land available for agriculture in Brunei Darussalam as compared to Sabah. In Brunei Darussalam, gazetted land area for agriculture in 2011 was 12,36703 hectares while Sabah has 2,200,000 hectares. Thus the amount of land available may correspond to the revenue achieved.

Another advantage for our neighbour is the cool climate of the mountain regions which open up for different types of fruits and vegetables to be grown. Anyway, it is good to hear that the Department of Agriculture & Agrifood has increased the gazetted land available for agriculture from 7,93758ha in 2008 to 12,36703ha in 2011.

In just a span of four years, it has shown an increase of 64 per cent. We hope it is a reflection of a commitment from the ministry and departments concerned to upgrade Brunei Darussalam's agriculture production capacity.