No Deal Yet on Manila-BSB Sardine Processing
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN,
February 2010 - TALKS between Brunei and the Philippines in facilitating
a joint venture to produce and export processed sardines to a lucrative
Middle Eastern market are still under way, but nothing has been set in
stone yet, said a senior government official yesterday.
Sabri Hj Mohd Taha, head of Industrial Development and Promotion
Division under the Fisheries Department, Ministry of Industry and
Primary Resources (MIPR), said that while the Seafood Handling Centre
which had been proposed to house the sardines processing factory will be
ready for operations in April, no proposals between both countries had
been sealed yet.
An earlier report by Philippine newspapers said that such a deal was
expected to be finalised in April.
They said that the project will see Brunei relying on the Philippines'
expertise in sardine processing while Brunei will provide its reliable
halal standards through the Brunei Halal Brand.
The reports also quoted Benjamin F S Tabios Jr, assistant director for
administrative services of the Philippines' Bureau of Fisheries and
Aquatic Resources, as saying that the deal will spell out details,
including the form and terms of partnership, as well as investment
required of the parties.
"We may link Brunei and Philippine companies together to create a
consortium, although Brunei has no problem with having a fully
Philippine company leasing its facility and using its sardines as raw
material. That is also a possible scenario," BusinessWorld quoted Tabios
as saying.
Meanwhile, Sabri told The Brunei Times that the Philippine delegation
had voiced their interest in the project sometime during the second half
of 2009 while attending the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East
Asean Growth Area (Bimp-Eaga) meeting held at the International
Convention Centre, Berakas.
"They took the opportunity to visit and learn more about Brunei's
fisheries industry where they were also briefed on the (still under
construction) Seafood Handling Centre," he said.
The $4.8 million centre is part of the Fisheries Department at the MIPR
under the National Development Plan 2007-2012.
The centre, which will take approximately 16 months to build, is hoped
to provide entrepreneurs with a facility for fishing ship docking,
storage, processing factory and marketing.
It will also house five cold storage units, namely three 20-tonne
storage capacity rooms and two 100-tonne storage capacity rooms. Each
equipped with a two-tonne blast freezer installed for cold storage
purposes.
Sabri said, "This factory will require a lot of resources from our water
so this can provide job opportunities for our local companies... It can
also help boost the country's economy and sea food industry." The
Philippine firms will also have to bring with them technology, knowledge
and expertise that can be passed on to the locals.
- Courtesy of
the Brunei Times -
