The Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) through Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) on Friday announced that three Brunei businesses have signed agreements to export to Sabah following the Sultanate’s participation in the ongoing Sabah International Expo (SIE) in Sabah, Malaysia, according to DARe in a press release.
PDS Abattoir Sdn Bhd (PDS), Royal Brunei Culinary Sdn Bhd (RBC), and BMC Food Industries (B) Sdn Bhd (BMC) held a signing ceremony on September 21, 2023, at the Brunei Pavilion at SIE, witnessed by Sabah’s Minister of Industrial Development & Entrepreneurship Phoong Jin Zhe; Brunei’s Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) and Board Member of BEDB and DARe, Hajah Tutiaty Haji Abdul Wahab, and the Acting CEO of BEDB and DARe, Daniel Leong.
The respective agreements for the Brunei businesses to enter the Sabah market are distributorship agreement between PDS Abattoir Sdn Bhd and Jetsin Sdn Bhd for the sale of PDS’ processed meat products; Distribution agreement between BMC Food Industries (B) Sdn Bhd and Jetsin Sdn Bhd for BMC’s non-canned processed meat and corned beef; Distribution agreement between BMC Food Industries (B) Sdn Bhd and Moh Heng Sdn Bhd for BMC products and TGT corned beef products and Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Royal Brunei Culinary Sdn Bhd and Jetsin Sdn Bhd for the supply of RBC frozen food products.
Jetsin Sdn Bhd is both a distributor and a retailer from Sabah, with an extensive supply network that covers some of the state’s biggest supermarkets, hotels, and restaurant chains. Meanwhile, Moh Heng Company Sdn Bhd is one of the largest distributors in East Malaysia specialising in fast-moving consumer goods.
For Government-Linked Companies PDS and RBC, both under the purview of Darussalam Assets (Sdn Bhd), their agreements are part of their wider efforts to contribute to the nation’s food security, develop import substitution products, and increase export of local products, in support of the national objectives of Wawasan 2035 on economic diversification.
Acting CEO of BEDB and DARe, Daniel Leong said that DARe is committed to helping Brunei enterprises with support from the MPRT and related authorities to tap into overseas markets by assisting them in building up their internal capabilities, developing their products and services, and connecting them to foreign business partners. “These export agreements are a noteworthy achievement by our businesses and we are working towards facilitating more opportunities for local enterprises to do business abroad,” he said.
“SIE specifically has been a strategic platform for our businesses to not only explore the Sabah market, but opportunities in the wider BIMP-EAGA region (Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area),” he added.
Brunei’s pavilion at SIE comprises of 21 companies, representing the largest delegation from the Sultanate to SIE to date. SIE is being held from September 21 to 24, and is marketed as Sabah’s premier trade fair, organised biennially with the objective of fostering business opportunities and showcasing products and services from BIMP-EAGA.
This year’s edition features 300 exhibitors and is expected to draw 50,000 visitors. The opportunity for Brunei businesses to participate in SIE was facilitated and sponsored by DARe, who will also be facilitating further business matching and market access opportunities for the participating Brunei businesses throughout the event.
