Borneo Bulletin, Brunei Darussalam
By James Kon
Brunei’s traditional handicraft could hit the Japanese market by 2010.
The governments of Brunei and Japan recently rolled out a bilateral project on “Development & Export Promotion of Brunei Handicraft Products”.
The Deputy Director of the Ministry of Economic Trade and Industry (METI), Mr Masayuki Nakayama, the Deputy Director of Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), Ms Mai Onozawa, the Director of JETRO Singapore, Ms Reiko Sugiyama, and other officials paid a visit to Brunei’s Ministry of Industry & Primary Resources yesterday.
The meeting was aimed at reaching a consensus on the designs of Brunei’s handicraft products that would be suitable for the Japanese market.
Once the development stages have been completed, the Japanese government will feature Brunei’s handicraft products at various exhibitions.
The Sultanate’s local SMEs stand to gain the most if the two-year project turns out to be a success.