February 11, 2010

Philippines and Brunei eye canned sardines alliance

The Philippines and Brunei are looking to collaborate on manufacturing canned sardines, according to an official of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

BFAR assistant director Benjamin Tabios said the sardines canning arrangement is an initiative of the Brunei-Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).

Tabios explained that under the plan, Philippine companies are supposed to extend technical assistance to Brunei, while Philippine firms will assist Brunei in processing its excess sardines catch.

He disclosed that negotiations for the collaboration between Brunei and the Philippines started in January. By April, Brunei plans production to go into high gear.

He said the conservative estimate is that Brunei has excess sardines catch of 100 tonnes every month.

BIMP-EAGA was created in 1992 by President Fidel V. Ramos who proposed the expansion of economic cooperation in the border areas with Indonesia and Malaysia and with Brunei Darussalam.