Eighty mukim and village consultative councils (MPKs/MPMs) from across Brunei are participating in the Sultanate’s largest village product showcase – the 1K1P (one village, one product) Expo 2017 – which was officially launched yesterday and will run until Sunday at the International Convention Centre (ICC).
The Minister of Home Affairs Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Kerna Dato Seri Setia (Dr) Haji Awang Abu Bakar Haji Apong officiated the launch, which brings together products made by Brunei’s village and mukim consultative councils; which are primarily handicrafts, furniture, health and beauty products, supplements and food and beverage items.
The showcase provides a platform for MPKs and MPMs that allows them to test and validate their products in a commercial setting. Another 40 businesses from Japan, China, Korea and ASEAN are also joining to showcase products unique to their countries – providing a unique networking and business matching opportunity for Brunei’s MPKs and MPMs.
1K1P is an initiative overseen by Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) where authentic local products are made and developed by village consultative councils; leveraging on the local human, material and cultural resources within the community with the hope of strengthening the community’s social bonds and economic growth.
MoHA Deputy Permanent Secretary Haji Mohammad Sunadi Haji Buntar added that that the 1K1P initiative – which has seen success in regional countries – also has the potential to provide employment opportunities to local villagers engaged in its value chain.
Head of the Economic Bureau of MPK Bebuloh Asmah Alas echoed the sentiment of the participating villages in highlighting that the expo provides an opportunity for them to market their products beyond their traditional customer base.
“We are taking the opportunity to introduce our array of woven baskets and handicrafts made by our villagers to the public who are beyond our usual reach,” said Asmah.
Alongside the sales event, there will also be seminar sessions aimed at the 1K1P businesses to help them gain more knowledge and skills in building and dealing with the processes to run and grow a business.
The seminars will be conducted by various agencies including BAG Networks, LiveWire and Darussalam Enterprise – which cover starting a business, online marketing, product packaging, financial management as well as halal certification and labels.
The expo is open to the public from 10 am to 10 pm until Sunday, except on Friday where it will close for prayers between 12 to 2 pm.
