As last year ended, Bruneis private sector enabled a huge relief effort of food and emergency items to Bangladesh and Myanmar with leading global manufacturer of Meals Ready-to-Eat (MRE) -- Saahtain Asia Sdn Bhd sending 5 containers of Ready-to-Eat Meals on behalf of its clients. Already through ASEAN Humanitarian Center, Brunei plays an active role in the ASEAN region to ensure its commitment towards disaster preparedness, response, recovery and rehabilitation through exchange of information among member countries. With new shipping routes, the expansion of logistic networks and growing private sector, Brunei is perfectly situated in the middle of the ASEAN block to become a Humanitarian Logistics Hub.

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Why is Brunei the choice for NGO or private companyies humanitarian goods or services setup?

As daylight breaks over Brunei Bay, it unveils sporadic new developments in ports, roads, bridges, warehouses and industrial plants, scattered all over Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city. There are more ships docking into the port these days. The industrial warehouses occupancy has gone up last year. There is a new reality in the operating costs in Brunei as well. As volumes increase, shipping and logistics costs are coming down. As more and more graduates look for work, salaries are affordable by start-ups. As supply increases, rents are at reasonable levels from the old highs. There is a growing SMEs sector feeding their local products into the supply chain. In line with His Majestys Governments Ease of Doing Business objectives, more and more export oriented companies are setting up operations.

Brunei is perceived to be as open as Spain and is known for its transparency among other ASEAN countries. This matches with the humanitarian sectors needs for a transparent and accountable environment that can support global donors confidence. 

Being politically stable, Bruneis strategic location also makes it possible for humanitarian goods and services to reach any ASEAN country under 3 hours. That is a real geographical strength. Its national carrier has a small yet critical route map within ASEAN block.

Creating an ecosystem for the humanitarian sector under one roof

While billions flow in as FDIs, dedicated industrial parks have been set up by the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) to curate more economic opportunites. For instance, the Anggerek Desa Technology Park (ADTP) -- a technology hub of several startups, the Knowledge Hub (K-Hub) -- a training, research and development business linked to tech giant, as well as the Salambigar Industrial Park are becoming a diversified hub of industries. As Bruneis local companies can play an important role in humanitarian goods and services supply, Saahtain, being an MRE manufacturer, also gained its presence in these parks.

One can see the development of an ecosystem for the humanitarian sector in Brunei: Local pharma companies can provide energy related products. Local ready-mix companies can provide waterproof & water-resistant Concrete for post disaster reconstruction work. The national carrier is adequately capable of providing humanitarian air corridors to disaster zones. The port terminal can handle large volumes of traffic for import and export of humanitarian relief goods. Local gas company can develop direct methanol fuel cells which can provide energy in an aftermath of a disaster. While Saahtain, having served the global humanitarian sector from Europe to Africa to Australasia with its MREs used in disaster and crisis areas, can provide Halal Disaster food that will serve everyone including the 42% of the ASEAN population which is Muslim. Its meals, manufactured locally, can stock and provide critical food aid.

"To stand out among others, Brunei needs to provide highly sophisticated goods and services in the ASEAN Economy," says Zahra Mahmood, Managing Director of the firm. "That is the only way to beat competition. For example Saahtain is the only supplier of Non GMO Halal Ready-to-Eat Meals in the whole of ASEAN block." 

about Saahtain

Saahtain is a leading manufacturer of Halal Meals Ready-to-Eat and provides over ninety (90) International recipes, many of them with three (3) years shelf life. Its unique and proprietary methods of preserving naturally cooked meals was used globally in situation like the aftermath of Gaza conflict to the catastrophic earthquake in Nepal to feeding the orphans in Ghana and now feeding displaced Rohingya Refugees.

In addition to its humanitarian Food Relief brand called Tayyib, Saahtain has its Halal MREs sold online for Muslim travellers called AlGourmet. For the military and emergency sector the company has a brand called TheFoodPouch.