ONE VILLAGE, ONE PRODUCT: In need of better shelf space

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

EXPOSURE has been one of the key talking points this year among villages taking up the One Village, One Product (OVOP) programme. Villages hoped that access to product fairs and exhibitions would help them boost business, not just among tourists but among the local population as well.

The OVOP programme is aimed to promote economic growth in villages across Brunei, providing employement opportunities in either producing a village specific product or providing services to tourist and visitors.

Greater exposure

This year had some OVOPs gaining significant exposure. One was at the beginning of the year when the Sultanate held the Brunei Darussalam Regatta 2013 in February. Fifty-four village and mukim consultative councils participated at a five-day exhibition aimed at enlivening the event.

During that event, Village Head of Kg Sg Matan Pg Hj Abdul Rahman Pg Hj Zainal said the exhibition was a good way to promote the OVOP products of all villages and mukim from all four districts.

Pg Hj Abdul Rahman said from the first day the exhibition opened many have come to visit and buy village products available at the exhibition.

He expressed hopes that relevant authorities could further help boost the OVOP products by building a centre where all products of villages and mukim from all districts can be displayed and sold.

In April, a Made-In-Brunei expo was launched for the first time at the Airport Mall, showcasing OVOP products. Pg Hj Ibrahim from Kapok also displayed his village’s products under the OVOP scheme, such as keripik pisang (dried banana chips), in addition to local biscuits and cakes.

“Alhamdulliah, we are very grateful being given this opportunity. The Bruneian public can see some of the unique products we have to offer,” he said.

Retired Major Hj Mohd Salleh Hj Hidup, CEO of Seri Pekatan, known for its seafood crackers, said the expo should become a mainstay of the annual calendar to attract both foreign and local attention.

“Many locals in fact are not aware of how many Bruneian products there are. Sometimes in shops, the big brands stand out and the local brands are in smaller aisles so they are not noticed. With this expo they are right at the centre of attention.”

He added: “A lot of products are very competitively priced and they deserve exposure. It would be great if expos like these could be held three to four times a year.”

At the ASEAN Year Consumer Fair, held in August and was hosted to complement Brunei’s chairmanship of ASEAN, OVOP products were also highlighted. Locally-made products such as traditional handicraft, embroidery and foodstuff under the project were also showcased at the pavilion of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources.

Research and marketing

In March of 2013, during the Legislative Council Session, YB Hj Jumat Akim, representative from Zone Four of the Brunei-Muara District, said that the OVOP programme had seen success in certain villages since its introduction.

He suggested that success in these villages be strengthened professionally by providing service advice to enhance respective products and also suggested that a research centre be made avaliable at each district to ensure that products were more sustainable and competitive in the local and international arena.

With the centre, he said, village and mukim consultative council members would become more involved in invigorating the economy of the local community. In response, Minister of Home Affairs YB Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Badaruddin said the ministry would consider the provision of a centre for mukims and districts, with another one located in the capital.

He also advised villages and districts to carry out their own marketing campaigns and not just wait for exhibitions or expos. “There is marketing for the products and does not necessarily need a marketing centre. In Belait, there is constant demand for their juice products as well as the dried fish in Mukim Serasa. They would receive orders from customers who already know about their products,” said the minister.

Judging begins

OVOP is one of the key judging aspects of the upcoming Excellent Village Awards next year. Of 500 possible points, the village economy, based on OVOP, will account for a fifth of those points. In addition to community pride, winning an award typically also recieved a substantial cash prize and development grant to the village. The desire to take home a medal is high among villages.

Temburong was the first district to be visited, among 23 shortlisted villages across the nation from district-level judging. Ten will be from Brunei-Muara, five from Belait, four in Tutong and four in Temburong.

Temburong in the first stage of judging each MPK sent members including respective village heads to conduct a presentation of their village’s activities and projects at the Temburong District Office in Bangar. Given a maximum of 15 minutes to speak, the MPKs then fielded questions from a panel of judges, before hosting the judges on site at their villages to allow for inspection and field-visit assessments.

Ambol anak Bakit, the village head of Kg Lepong Baru, highlighted his village’s focus on economic activities, under the OVOP scheme.

Kg Lepong Baru produces sumboi-sumboi weaving for its pitcher plant replicas, pemarang (a type of machete), kuih jala (type of traditional cake), while also staging Inap-Desa performances (a type of traditional dance).

“Our main challenge lies in financial channeling. At the moment we are relying on bookings. We face shortages in terms of financial resources, materials and creative thinking... For this competition, we had to improve several aspects including in terms of administration, economic, as well as religious and cultural,” said Ambol.

Meanwhile, Kg Amo’s Village Head Hujan anak Muit reflected on the work put in by his village to prove that the activities done had led to an improvement in terms of quality of life and income.

“This is our second appearance at the national level, but we have made it to all the district-level finals. Our main strength lies in the economic aspect and we have improved much on that, although we may have suffered this year in terms of management due to unavoidable circumstances. Nevertheless, we’re not concerned with winning or losing. Our main aim is to assist the village residents, and that is through the improvement of our leadership instrument,” said Hujan.

Kg Menengah also showcased its curry puff products facilitated by its women’s bureau while Kg Belais dan Buda-Buda featured its park project, fishing hut, as well as various local food products.

As the judging continues throughout the rest of the country, the OVOP programme and how well each village goes about it might be one of the key factors in delivering a medal this coming year, or the difference between a village getting gold or silver, getting just a bronze, or returning back empty handed.

The Brunei Times