Brunei raises bar for M`sian fruits and veges

Miri- Brunei has imposed tougher regulations on the import of Malaysian vegetables and fruits. 

A meeting here Thursday among Federal and state authorities from Sabah, Sarawak and the sultanate agreed that: 

• there shall be a standard quality for all types of vegetables and fruits imported from Malaysia; 
• there shall also be standard packaging and labelling of Malaysian vegetables and fruits to Brunei; 
• all vegetables and fruits from Malaysia to Brunei must have an export declaration document; and 
• there shall be a limit on the amount of vegetables and fruits that an individual can carry into Brunei (limit of only five items and maxi¬mum 30kg per person per entry). 

Brunei agriculture department assistant director Dr Dabeding Dullah said the new policies were needed to ensure that only very high quality products are traded between the two neighbours. 

"Brunei imports some 6,500 metric tonnes of vegetables and fruits from Malaysia and 40% are from Sabah and Sarawak," he told reporters at the meeting of major producers, exporters and importers from Brunei, Sabah and Sarawak at a hotel here on Thursday. 

He said Brunei also imported eggs from Sarawak. The sultanate has so far imported 500,000 eggs from Sarawak and would buy more to meet the needs of consumers in Brunie, he added. 

Representatives of the Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (Fama) and the agriculture departments of Sabah and Sarawak agreed that guidelines be drawn up to govern the export of vegetables and fruits from the two states to Brunei, which amounts to some RM5mil annually. 

Fama national director of control Mazlan Shamsuddin said Brunei wanted the new conditions to have more stringent controls at all entry points into the sultanate. 

"We (Malaysia and Brunei) have agreed to com¬ile guidelines on these conditions and requirements that both exporters and importers can strictly adhere to," he said. 

"We hope that sellers and buyers in both countries will understand and follow the correct procedures, so that the trade of these essential items would be better coordinated," he said. 

Source : http://biz.thestar.com.my

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