For Mohd Noraiman Rusyaidi Roslan, Nara Agrofarm began as a pastime while waiting for enrolment into the next stage of education, but has now turned into a full-fledged business with a clear vision of growth and expansion.
“I needed to do something at the time and thought of running my own broiler chicken farm as I have an adequate knowledge of how to do it from my time at school,” said Mohd Noraiman, founder of Nara Agrofarm.
“Nara Agrofarm was set up to fill up my free time after I completed my ‘O’ Levels in December 2020. I set up my poultry housing and equipment in early 2021 before starting my course at the Institute of Brunei Technical Education (IBTE) in July 2021,” said the 18-year-old who studied Crop and Livestock Production at IBTE.
Among the challenges he faced in the early stage of his business journey were the lack of capital and manpower, meeting customer demands as well as time management issue as he had to juggle between his studies and running the poultry farm.
The farm in Kampong Sungai Radang, Temburong District, started with a modest production of 300 chickens per week and is now producing around 500 chickens per week and currently houses over 3,000 chickens at a given time.
“During my time at IBTE, I gained more knowledge on how to properly breed, rear and slaughter the chickens and this has helped me in terms of boosting productivity and efficiency,” he said.
Nara Agrofarm was officially established in September 2022 and has begun supplying local shops in October this year.
Good demand for his produce encouraged Mohd Noraiman to begin considering turning the business into a large-scale commercial enterprise in the future.
“Our immediate goal is to grow the production of our chickens and expand the size of the poultry house so we can fully cater to customer demands as well as grow as a business to help our country’s economic diversification and help the nation achieve its food security goal,”
he said.
Nara Agrofarm is one of many up and rising young entrepreneurs who receives guidance and mentoring from the BIBD SME360 which focusses on providing holistic and comprehensive assistance to small businesses through an experienced and dedicated relationship management team that acts as a trusted partner in their growth – improving access to finance and resources, providing relevant advice and guidance in digitising their business.
“So far, BIBD has helped me a lot on how to manage our operations including cash flow management, which I never knew and understood before. BIBD also shares business tips and ideas as well as provides us with guidance on how to expand our business,” said Mohd Noraiman.
BIBD Business Development Manager (Marketing) at the Corporate Banking Group Amir Anwar Rahman said choosing the right mentors is key in ensuring the survival and growth of businesses. “The right mentors can provide valuable business insights, advice, moral support, and the encouragement you might need to succeed as an entrepreneur,” he said.
“At BIBD SME360, we take pride in our ability and commitment to guide young entrepreneurs and start-ups from the early days of their business journeys to when they become established businesses,” he added.
“We hope SME360 will benefit businesses and provide the advice and assistance towards the growth of a more vibrant, dynamic, and sustainable entrepreneurial environment in Brunei – consistent with the bank’s role as the Partner in Progress in helping the nation address food security and self-sufficiency as well as commitment to support the United Nations (UN) Sustainability Development Goal of encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation.”
