Darussalam Enterprise (DARe) is looking to help local agriculture businesses get the Brunei Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certification by subsiding training and consultancy for the standard.
The Brunei GAP, which focuses on food safety and product quality, has been issued by the Department Agriculture and Agrifood (DAA) under the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) since 2014.
The standard is open to producers of fruits and vegetables and its associated service providers in packing, logistics and distribution.
Brunei’s GAP follows the introduction of the ASEAN GAP in 2006, which is based on the Global G.A.P, the world’s most widely implemented farm certification scheme.
Attaining the GAP provides assurance that produce is farmed under standards that ensure it can be safely consumed, paving the way for the product’s wider market access, especially export.
DAA said last year that Brunei GAP would eventually be a requirement for businesses operating in government owned Agriculture Develop Areas (KKP), and has appointed agritech startup Agrome IQ as the official Brunei GAP trainer to help accelerate the process of on boarding Brunei’s farms.
The training and consultancy provided by Agrome IQ enables businesses to meet the criteria of the Brunei GAP before DAA initiates the audit and certification process for the business.
DARe will be subsiding the cost of Agrome IQ’s training and consultancy for local farming businesses, as well as offer business-related training through the Industry Business Academy.
The subsidies falls under DARe’s Standards Consultancy Programme (SCP), an initiative to enable companies to adopt international standards, which are designed to drive business growth by developing capabilities, improve the businesses’ processes, quality and consistency, increase competitiveness and gain access to new markets.
Several established local farms have attained the certification including Hua Ho Agricultural Farm, Gropoint and Bioprop Farm, but overall uptake has been relatively low, with less than 10 businesses certified by the end of 2019.
Agrome IQ has said that there are approximately 300 farming businesses that have the potential to be GAP certified.
DARe will be hosting a socialisation programme for Brunei GAP and SCP this Thursday, 2.30pm at the Design and Technology building in Anggerek Desa. Those interested can register on eventbrite before attending.
Applications for Brunei GAP consultancy are open from September 14 to 28. More information and online application forms can be downloaded from DARe’s website.
