Brunei Darussalam shouldn’t be the smallest Southeast Asian country by area, however it is the smallest by population. Brunei, with a complete population of about 440,000, has the second-highest GDP (PPP) per capita at $76,860 within the ASEAN region, based on the IMF. According to the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Brunei, by way of the contribution of economic activities to GDP within the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2023, the economic sector was 60.8 percent, followed by the services sector at 38.3 percent and the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector at 0. 9 percent Brunei’s economy is heavily depending on oil and gas exploration, and that is the perception of most individuals, not only in Southeast Asia, but in addition in global communities. Little did we all know, nonetheless, that the country’s agricultural income has been steadily increasing in recent many years; it undoubtedly also presents some challenges which are value considering.
A dynamically developing agricultural sector
Neighboring Indonesia and Malaysia on the island of Borneo, Brunei is taken into account a small but wealthy country. Typically, in Southeast Asia, each country develops its agricultural sector because it plays a strategic role in achieving food security and economic diversification. At national level, efforts have been made to enhance agricultural incomes, from using technology in agricultural activities to engaging young people – encouraging them to work within the agricultural sector; regional cooperation with other ASEAN countries has grow to be a strategic partnership to extend agricultural production lately.
In recent years, the federal government has been expanding land under cultivation to extend agricultural production and, subsequently, agricultural income. The country’s most important agricultural activity is rice cultivation. Through the Department of Agriculture and Agricultural Affairs (DAA), to support the event of rice cultivation, the federal government is increasing the budget allocated to rice cultivation, investing in latest technologies, irrigation systems and agricultural programs – all efforts geared toward supporting Brunei’s self-sufficiency and food security.
Turning challenges into opportunities
Not only Brunei, but just about all ASEAN countries are casting a shadow over the results of the Covid-19 pandemic and the present global economic uncertainty. Don’t forget to say the aging agricultural workforce and learn how to encourage the younger generation to have interaction in agricultural activities to support the country’s vision of self-sufficiency. Nevertheless, the pandemic has been a type of reset period for all sectors, including agricultural activities, to perform research and technological advances to support the longer term of agricultural development – what has worked and what has not. It was also a time when young people could learn more about various knowledge and science that could have a direct impact on their future. The Brunei government has grow to be more lively in engaging young people in agricultural activities, connecting them with what they like and know best – technology. A tech-savvy generation is now learning more about agriculture on the nation’s educational institutions and putting their disciplinary knowledge and theoretical knowledge into practice in agricultural fields across the country.
The way forward
Continuing the Government of Brunei’s work: engaging with the sector of intergenerational agricultural employees, the elderly and the young, to make sure the transfer of practical knowledge. So that aging agricultural employees can pass on their practical knowledge within the agricultural sector to the younger generation, and in order that the younger generation can maintain this practice in the longer term, recognizing their knowledge and technological advances as essential and feasible on this field. Talking about national self-sufficiency and food security shouldn’t be nearly one thing at a time, but in addition about learn how to work on many variables directly. The country must also consider regional partnerships with its ASEAN countries, at the least with its immediate neighbors Malaysia and Indonesia, to develop and expand its agricultural production in the longer term and achieve its national goal of self-sufficiency within the near foreseeable future.
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