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To further strengthen the friendly relationship between Japan and Brunei established through the Brunei LNG Project, Mitsubishi Corporation founded McFarm Sdn. Bhd. in 1978 and has been promoting farming and marketing of beef cattle with the cooperation of the Bruneian government. It is a joint project between MC and Bruneian government–the former provides capitalization and techniques, while the latter offers land and infrastructure. In 1979, they cultivated a hilly area located 10 kilometers west of the capital, Bandar Seri Begawan, and started developing land for farming. In the project's experimental stage, which was completed in 1984, it was proved for the first time that large scale farming of livestock was technically possible in such a tropical region. So far, nearly 1000 calves have been supplied to livestock farmers in Brunei. In the late 1990s, after stable supplies of cattle to Bruneian farmers had been achieved, McFarm began to breed goats. Along with this livestock farming, the company has been engaged in growing a variety of fruits and vegetables by hydroponics since 1986. Since 1990, McFarm has been engaged in the commercial production of tomatoes by hydroponics, and nearly 8,000 tomato plants are currently being cultivated on the farm. In the future, McFarm will seek to contribute to the development and transfer of safe food production techniques in Brunei. These activities have made the name "McFarm" known to all Bruneians, and the farm is now toured by local school children as well as VIPs from foreign countries who are visiting Brunei. It is also introduced in Bruneian school textbooks. In 2003, when McFarm celebrated its silver jubilee, it opened "Agrotech Garden" in an effort to provide young people a chance to experience farming first hand. The farm also began land-based aquaculture of flounder utilizing advanced technology.
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