HIS Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam stopped by Zone A of the Bio-Innovation Corridor (BIC) at Tungku, Gadong, in a series of visits as part of the programme of the House Key Plaque Presentation ceremony held yesterday morning.

Upon his arrival to Zone A, His Majesty consented to sign the commemorative plaque and then toured a section of the park, followed by a visit to the greenhouse.

A group of students from the Qihua Primary School, Singapore, were fortunate enough to be in the vicinity during His Majesty’s visit to the BIC and had the opportunity to greet the leader of Brunei Darussalam.

The monarch was then invited to plant a tree and was accompanied by the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources, Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Yahya bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Haji Bakar.

The 500-hectare industrial area was previously known as the Agrotechnology Park and is divided into several categorised zones namely Zone A, Zone B, Zone C and Zone D.

As of now, 50 hectares of the area have been developed and will continue to be developed in phases.

The first phase was completed with the introduction of various ornamental plants and trees such as palm tree gardens, cacti garden, Japanese garden as well as the greenhouse to grow a variety of flower species.

The first phase also included the development of a livestock park where animals such as Serama chickens, ostriches, deer and goats can be seen.

The park is a potential domestic and foreign tourist attraction and has also been made into a recreational area to promote healthy lifestyle activities such as walking, jogging and cycling.

Since its launch in October 2013, as many as 10,000 people, including state visit guests, government and private agencies, schools and colleges and foreign tourists have visited the BIC. - Borneo Bulletin (3 June 2014)