PDS Abattoir has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Singapore’s Aliyah Rizq Holdings to pilot the sole cattle breeding programme in Brunei, as part of a wider livestock breeding initiative that also includes sheep and buffalo.
The cattle breeding pilot will begin with a trial involving the import of ten parent stock as a proof of concept. This will evaluate breeding success rates, operational challenges, and the overall feasibility for commercial expansion, which would require substantial investment.
Implementing a local breeding programme marks another significant expansion PDS Abbatoir – which became a wholly government-owned company in 2021 – and has traditionally been focused on importing livestock for slaughter and meat processing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, PDS expanded its value chain to include feedlotting – the process of importing young livestock to be raised and fattened to commercial size before slaughter. The new breeding programme takes this a step further, aiming to establish a complete livestock ecosystem within Brunei.
PDS General Manager Sabirin Othman explained on the sidelines of the MoU signing on September 1 that while Brunei has small-scale breeding of sheep and buffalo, there is currently no commercial-scale breeding of cattle.
He said partnering with Singapore’s Aliyah Rizq Holdings brings in a partner with proven breeding expertise and international experience. Established ten years ago, the company has since scaled to 60,000 livestock across seven countries through its cluster-based farming model.
“For Brunei’s food sector – especially over the long-term – it’s strategically important for us to develop our livestock breeding capabilities, even if importing is viable,” said Sabirin.
“This ensures not only food security by reducing our reliance on imports, but also allows us to strengthen the value chain further into areas such as animal husbandry, meat processing, and even exports.”
The breeding initiative includes establishing a dedicated laboratory to support artificial insemination and in vitro fertilisation (IVF), along with a feeding programme aimed at optimising productivity and animal health. Also included in the MoU are the development of processed meat products under the Aliyah Rizq brand and tapping into export channels.
Aliyah Rizq’s entry to Brunei marks another foreign direct investment (FDI) from Singapore, and a “personal homecoming” for its COO Datin Seri Nabilah Bagarib, a Singaporean who was raised in Brunei while her parents were working in the country.
In December 2024, PDS Abattoir earned accreditation from the Singapore Food Agency to make Brunei’s first export of processed meat products to Singapore – a milestone that Datin Seri Nabilah Bagarib said was crucial to their decision to partner with PDS.
“When I heard the news that Brunei was able to export products to Singapore, I knew we needed to strike while the iron was hot,” said Datin Nabilah, who started Aliyah Rizq with her husband, Dato Seri Ashraf Bakar.
“I believe Brunei is under-tapped in its potential for livestock. It has the land, logistics, and government support needed for the industry to develop and succeed.”
Datin Nabilah added that their long-term plans in Brunei include growing a ruminant livestock operation into the thousands, similar to the scale the company has achieved in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Food is one of Brunei’s five priority sectors for economic diversification, with a strategy focused on developing export-oriented value chains built around sustainable, high-value commodities.
FDIs have been central to this effort, driving the production of spirulina, blue shrimp, barramundi and muskmelon, among others.
