| Danial Norjidi |

THE importance of developing downstream industry and attracting more foreign investment were highlighted by Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Mohd Hussein in his remarks during the working visits by members of the Legislative Council (LegCo) to a number of industrial sites in the Brunei-Muara District yesterday.

The first two locations visited by the delegation were Western Food and Packaging Sdn Bhd (WFP) at the Serasa Industrial Site, and Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd on Pulau Muara Besar.

Speaking during the delegation’s visit at WFP, the minister noted that WFP is one of the examples of a foreign direct investment (FDI) company that operates in the country and exports products made at the industrial site.

“It is the ministry’s target to attract more foreign investors such as these that can generate added value in the country, not just in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) and export value, but also to generate opportunities for spin-offs and capacity-building from knowledge, expertise and technology for local companies,” he said.

“Through this visit and the visit to Pulau Muara Besar, I hope that the honourable members will be able to view and evaluate themselves the industrial sites that are available and open for the operation of enterprises within the country.”

The minister explained that industrial sites are some of the facilities availed by the government to further promote the growth and development of the sector in the country.

“These sites are not only aimed at providing infrastructure, but also intended to generate more continuity among various businesses under one site or zone to maximise the opportunities for spin-offs and to support the development of key sectors through more focus or clustering,” he said.

In his remarks at the petrochemical refinery complex under Hengyi Industries Sdn Bhd, the minister said, “We have the opportunity to visit another industrial site, Pulau Muara Besar, which is specifically allocated for the development of the downstream industry in Brunei Darussalam.

“Downstream projects currently underway are the construction of an oil and petrochemical refinery with a processing capacity of 175,000 barrels of oil per day.

“This is the largest project in our country today, and Insya Allah it will also be the second-largest refinery in the ASEAN region.

“The country’s downstream industry in general is something that is planned to be further developed by the ministry.

“This effort is critical because this sector in general and this project in particular will generate new employment opportunities for the people of Brunei Darussalam.”