BRUNEI-MUARA

BRUNEIAN farmers managed to rake in handsome profits after a total of 20,574 visitors were recorded at the week-long Durian and Fruits Festival at Bio Innovation Corridor, Kg Tungku.

Organised by the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources, the festival yesterday saw the highest number of visitors throughout the week, with a total of 6,781 people.

Speaking to The Brunei Times, Rukiah Bair, assistant senior agricuture officer at the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood, said they received a positive public reception and was happy with the turnout.

Most vendors expressed their satisfaction joining the festival, especially with the large number of people who turned up and facilities provided at the venue.

Jufri Hj Sahib of Syarikat Siti Rudiah Hj Sahib, one of the vendors offering the all-you-can-eat durian promotion, said he earned over $5,000 in profits from the festival.

He added that there were more people visiting the festival at the Bio Innovation Corridor, or formerly known as Agrotechnology Park, compared to other previous festivals his company participated.

“Similar to last Saturday, we sold three vans or about 5,000 of durians. By 3pm, we already ran out of durians. This is very encouraging and the all-you-can-eat promotion has definitely attracted a lot of visitors to this festival. I am thankful to the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood for organising this,” he said.

Another durian and fruits vendor, Hjh Rosnani Hj Jair from Temburong, said: “Alhamdulillah, I have been joining these festivals organised by the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood since 2009. So far, I can estimate that our sales have reached over $2,000 during this week-long festival.”

The proprietor of Ampuan Muhd Abd Wa’ie Enterprise also shared that she and her mother have been commuting from Temburong to the venue, bringing all the produce she harvested from her fruit orchard at Kg Batang Tuau.

Apart from the variety of durians, locally-grown fruits such as tarap, binjai, rambutan and pulasan were also sold at her stall yesterday.

Another participant, Hjh Tunah Hj Osman of Syarikat Daya Setia, shared that they profited about $400 to $500 per day on previous days, and estimating that they would earn more on the final day of the festival yesterday.

Noting that their produce came from their orchard in Kg Lamunin, the 72-year-old said effective promotion and advertising by the organiser had resulted in large crowds at the festival.

Similarly, flowers and ornamental plant vendors also observed an increase in sales, especially fruit saplings.

A worker from Jackdin and Sons Company, which is based in Kg Selayun, said their sales during the festival were $300 to $350 more than what they earned on a regular basis.

“People seem to be excited to plant and grow their own fruit trees. So it is a good indicator that the demand for our fruit saplings is increasing. Visitors for the festival mostly have bought saplings of durian kuning, durian pulu, longan, rambutan and limes,” he said. He added that there was also a demand for local medicinal plants and herbs such as misai kucing, rancah-rancah, local bay leaf, cinnamon plant and curry leaves.

A total of 110 vendors participated in the festival, showcasing the different types of durians and fruits in the Sultanate. The festival was also hoped to promote fruit crops and agrifood production, as well as encourage farmers to be more proactive in improving their yield.

The Brunei Times