KUCHING: Sarawak and Brunei need to further enhance co-operation in the economic sector, especially agricultural trade, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Leveraging on the prevailing close spirit of cooperation with Brunei, he said Sarawak hopes to increase trade, especially supply of agricultural products such as livestock, fruits and vegetables.
Noting that Sarawak has a large land area with huge potential for modern agriculture, he said the state government has proposed a joint venture in fish rearing and prawn culture in Lawas.
“Sarawak-Brunei also has the potential for collaboration on cattle farming in Limbang, Lawas, and Miri, and downstream processing in Brunei.
“We have several plantations that have expressed their interest in undertaking cattle rearing via integration with oil palm plantations and feedlot systems,” he said at Brunei’s 39th National Day reception ceremony here.
Abang Johari was represented at the event by Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, who is also the Minister for International Trade, Industry, and Investment and Second Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development.
The Premier also stated that the Sarawak government would like to collaborate with Brunei to further develop the tourism industry.
This, he added, would be done through joint tourism promotion and events, as well as promote Borneo as a tourism destination by leveraging Brunei Airport as an international travel hub for the region.
“We also have set up our trade office in neighbouring Singapore and will soon do so in Brunei Darussalam.
“Through the setting up of this office, both Brunei Darussalam and Sarawak have agreed on joint promotion efforts, especially in areas such as tourism and trade,” he said.
Abang Johari asserted that Sarawak would collaborate with Brunei for joint border development along the highway for commercial property and industrial parks, as well as promote local products globally.
He expressed hope that Brunei would allow Sarawak’s products, especially those from the Northern Region, to be exported to overseas markets, either by air or sea, as Brunei has better connectivity.
“I believe further cooperation through expos and trade fairs to promote local products, such as the Micro SME Brunei Fair, the Brunei Consumer Fair, and the Sarawak Timber and SME Expo, should be made to spur more growth in the economic sector,” he said.
In light of this, he said Sarawak is all in favour of improving the effectiveness of BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area) as a sub-regional cooperative effort to promote economic development that will benefit the member nations or regions; as Brunei and Sarawak are also partners in the initiative.
To note, the BIMP-EAGA cooperation seeks to boost trade, tourism, and investments by promoting free movement of people, commodities, and services, making the greatest use of shared infrastructure and natural resources, and fully utilising economic complementarity.
As such, Abang Johari noted that Sarawak is ready to sell power generated by its hydro dams to Brunei under the Trans-Borneo Grid Project.
He said Sarawak Energy is currently working on a power exchange agreement with Brunei to pave the way for the export of electricity to Brunei.
