Brunei Fertilizer Industries - Food for Thought BF 147

BRUNEI FERTILIZER INDUSTRIES

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

BRUNEI FERTILIZER INDUSTRIES

SCALING PRODUCTION AND INNOVATION, BRUNEI FERTILIZER INDUSTRIES IS STRENGTHENING FOOD SECURITY ACROSS SOUTHEAST ASIA.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT PROJECT MANAGED BY: JACK BIBBY

From a standing start to one of Southeast Asia’s most significant fertilizer producers, Brunei Fertilizer Industries Sdn Bhd (BFI) has moved with speed and clarity of purpose. Established in 2013, and brought into full commercial production in 2023, the company is a cornerstone of Brunei’s economic diversification strategy. Built as the country’s first ammonia urea plant, the facility has a nameplate capacity of 2,200 tonnes of ammonia per day and 3,900 tonnes per day of urea.

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FI’s rapid progression has positioned the business at the centre of a national ambition. As part of Brunei’s Vision 2035, the plant plays a critical role in shifting the economy beyond upstream oil & gas and into higher value downstream industries.

For CEO Dr. Harri Kiiski, BFI’s competitive edge begins with geography.

“I could start like a real estate agent: location, location, location,” Harri says. “If you look at the world map from a Brunei-centric perspective, you will quickly see that the sailing time from here to Philippines is two days, less than seven days to Thailand, and 14 days to Australia and New Zealand.”

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In a global fertiliser market where logistics define competitiveness, that positioning is a clear advantage. Proximity to key agricultural markets across Asia and Oceania allows BFI to respond quickly to demand fluctuations, particularly during periods of disruption.

“Since the beginning of ongoing tensions in the Middle East involving Iran, we have been contacted almost hourly by clients asking for volume,” Harri reports.

unique challenges for the business, particularly when handling hygroscopic products like urea, but BFI is steadfast in protecting the integrity of its product.

“For our bulk shipments via Muara Port, we hermetically seal our product for transport from the plant to the port, meaning it is always contamination free,” Harri reveals. “It doesn’t have a moisture pickup.

“This system ensures that fertiliser reaches customers in optimal condition, free from dust, lumps, or degradation.

It is a detail that has not gone unnoticed by buyers in key export markets, such as Australia.”

QUALITY AS A DIFFERENTIATOR

However, location alone is not enough in a commoditydriven sector, and for BFI, quality has become a true differentiator. Operating in a tropical environment presents

Dr. Harri Kiiski, CEO, Brunei Fertilizer Industries.

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BRUNEI DARUSSALAM POSITIONING BRUNEI FOR THE NEXT PHASE OF INDUSTRIAL GROWTH As global investors increasingly seek stable, well-governed locations with long-term growth potential, Brunei Darussalam is strengthening its position as a credible investment destination in Southeast Asia.

Supporting this ongoing transformation is the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB), responsible for attracting investment, developing industrial infrastructure, and advancing the diversification of the national economy.

BEDB’s role extends beyond investment promotion. It works to create the conditions that allow investment projects to take root and grow, from industrial site development and investor facilitation to strengthening the wider business ecosystem that supports long-term industrial activity. This includes attracting foreign direct investment while ensuring that such investments contribute to local enterprise development, workforce capability, and stronger domestic supply chains.

For investors, this ecosystem matters. A competitive investment location is defined not only by infrastructure and incentives, but also by the strength of the surrounding business environment, including the availability of capable local Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), skilled talent, suppliers, and service providers that can support operations efficiently and sustainably. In Brunei, this ecosystem-building approach is increasingly shaping how industrial growth is being developed.

Brunei’s broader investment proposition remains strong. Strategically located in the heart of Southeast Asia, the country offers political stability, strong governance, and proximity to regional markets. It also provides a favourable tax environment, a secure operating landscape, and up to 100 percent foreign ownership in many sectors. These fundamentals are complemented by a coordinated national approach to investment facilitation and industrial development.

At the same time, Brunei is focused on ensuring that growth is diversified, resilient, and future ready. Through BEDB’s wider development role, investment is also viewed as a platform to support local innovation, enterprise upgrading, and startup activity, particularly where these can create stronger linkages between foreign investment and domestic economic participation. This helps build a more sustainable industrial base while expanding opportunities for Bruneian businesses and talent.

Projects such as Brunei Fertilizer Industries (BFI) reflect this direction.

Beyond representing a major downstream industrial investment, BFI also demonstrates how strategic projects can contribute to export growth, industrial capability, and wider ecosystem development in Brunei. In parallel, BEDB continues to position industrial parks and sector opportunities in ways that encourage deeper value creation and stronger local participation over time.

An equally important part of this story is sustainability. As investors increasingly prioritise energy transition, environmental responsibility, and resilient operations, Brunei is working to align industrial development with these expectations. This includes supporting lowercarbon industrial opportunities, encouraging responsible resource use, and maintaining the environmental standards that underpin the country’s reputation as a clean, stable, and well-managed place to do business.

For investors assessing Southeast Asia, Brunei offers a combination of strategic location, policy stability, and an increasingly deliberate approach to industrial development. Through BEDB’s continued efforts, the country is positioning itself as a trusted partner for investment – building an ecosystem where investment delivers long-term value for investors, local businesses, and the nation’s next phase of growth. www.invest.gov.bn

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A REPUTATION FOR AGILITY

Alongside infrastructure and logistics, BFI places significant emphasis on responsiveness.

Despite operating at industrial scale, the company has built a reputation for agility.

“Our marketing team makes the difference,” Harri states.

“Fertilizer is a global business, and our team members make themselves available at all hours so that customers can get answers right when they need them.”

This responsiveness is underpinned by a workforce that has been developed almost entirely from scratch. As a greenfield operation, BFI had no legacy systems or experienced local fertiliser workforce to rely upon when its journey began.

“Early on, we hired Bruneian graduates from the local and international universities and technical schools and blended this with a team of expats to run the plant and train our people,” Harri remarks. “The result has been a carefully managed transfer of knowledge, combining international expertise with local talent development.”

Today, BFI’s workforce is around 80% Bruneian – an increase from 65% just three years ago. Central to this transition has been a structured operational excellence programme designed to unify practices across a diverse workforce.

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BRUNEI FERTILIZER INDUSTRIES

“Expats were coming from 14 different countries and representing 30 different company cultures,” Harri notes.

“We needed one way of working which is fondly referred to as the BFI Way of Work.

“Establishment of a unified, internal operating framework has helped standardise processes across safety, quality, and production, while also creating a platform for continuous improvement.”

CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE

This new culture of excellence is visible across the site.

Employees take ownership, with clear accountability for performance and standards.

The impact is measurable. BFI has achieved close to 980 days without a recordable injury, equating to nearly five million working hours.

“We have encouraged our people not to hide anything,” Harri comments. “You have to

be open and transparent. If something happens, come and tell us, it will not reflect badly on you.”

This openness extends beyond safety into operational performance. Employees are actively driving improvements in product quality, often exceeding baseline targets.

“In urea there is a limit of one percent for certain parameters,” Harri says. “We were at 0.82 for biuret content, but our team members felt they could do better. Today we are at 0.76.”

Such initiatives highlight a workforce that is not only trained but engaged.

LOOKING AHEAD

Looking ahead, BFI’s priorities are shaped by both immediate global pressures and longerterm structural trends.

In the short term, maintaining stable production is critical in an increasingly volatile global environment.

“The biggest commitment we can make to the world is to continue producing fertiliser to make sure there is food for people,” Harri declares. “We are quite an important player in food security.”

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Beyond this, sustainability and decarbonisation are firmly on the agenda for BFI. The company is currently developing solutions to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, particularly in Southeast Asia.

“We have developed a process that could help to reduce the release of CO2 during rice cultivation,” Harri asserts. “Innovations like this address both environmental and public health challenges, particularly in regions where soil deficiencies affect crop yields and nutrition.”

For a company that has only recently entered full production, the scale of ambition at BFI is notable. Guiding the organisation in the years ahead, BFI’s key fundamentals are clear: Strategic location, consistent quality, a young, agile workforce, and a willingness to invest in both people and processes.

Taken together, these ambitions position BFI as a highquality producer of fertiliser, but also an increasingly influential player in the global effort to secure food supply in a changing world.

“Brunei may be a small country,” Harri concludes, “but our impact reaches a global scale.”

“ESTABLISHMENT OF A UNIFIED, INTERNAL OPERATING FRAMEWORK HAS HELPED STANDARDISE PROCESSES ACROSS SAFETY, QUALITY, AND PRODUCTION.” BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM

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