Petroleum and Agriculture in the Asia Pacific Region
The Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam is one of the smallest and most ancient countries in the world. Founded as a maritime empire in the Asia Pacific region before the 15th century, today Brunei is a small nation occupying an enclave within Malaysia on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Today, Brunei has a total territory of 5.765 square kilometers, which is slightly smaller than Delaware. Nevertheless, per capita, Brunei is one of the richest countries in the world due to its large petroleum and natural gas reserves. Mostly plains dominate the country’s 161 kilometers of coastline, while some mountains and hills occupy the interior. Currently, the country has a total population of almost 450.000 citizens, 78% of which live in an urban setting, notably the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan with 241,000 inhabitants. The annual gross domestic product (GDP) of Brunei is about US$30 billion (PPP). However, the country has experienced sluggish and even negative economic growth in recent years. The national economy is divided into 2% agriculture, 60% manufacturing, and 38% services. Likewise, it is estimated that the agricultural industry employs 4% of the national labor force, while manufacturing employs 63% and services employ another 33%. Meanwhile, the agriculture industry utilizes 3% of the national territory, while another 72% is forested.
Petroleum and Agriculture in the Asia Pacific Region
In terms of natural resources, Brunei has petroleum, natural gas, and timber. Within manufacturing, the national industry is focused on petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas processing, construction, and transportation. Simultaneously, the country’s agricultural industry has as main products rice, vegetables, fruits, chickens, water buffalo, cattle, goats, and eggs. During 2015, Brunei imported US$3.9 billion worth of goods and exported US$6.4 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of US$2.5 billion. Furthermore, that same year, Brunei’s main export, representing 55% or almost US$3.5 billion of the country’s total, was liquefied natural gas. Similarly, the country’s main import, representing 6.3% or US$245 million of all international purchases, were passenger cargo ships. In terms of trade, Brunei belongs to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as well as to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). Likewise, the country’s main trade partners are mainly Asian nations, including Japan, South Korea, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Thailand, and India.
Meanwhile, land distribution and output in Brunei have also evolved throughout the last several decades. Back in 1961, permanent pastures and meadows in the country covered 6.000 hectares, while arable land represented 4.000 hectares and permanent crops accounted for 11.000 hectares. More recently, by 2014, permanent pastures and meadows accounted for 3.400 hectares, while arable land represented 5.000 hectares and permanent crops covered 6.000 hectares. Similarly, in 1961, the cereals market in Brunei utilized almost 2.840 hectares of land and yielded little over 4.900 metric tons annually. Finally, in 2014, the country devoted approximately 1.450 hectares of land to cereals production and yielded some 1.211 metric tons.