The New Straits Times 23 Aug 09;
The bird's nest industry is a money-spinner, which explains the sudden proliferation of swiftlet 'motels' in the country. The downside is that many are operating without licences, write HEIDI FOO and DHARSHINI BALAN.
THE edible bird's nest industry in Malaysia is a potentially lucrative one but not enough is being done to develop it.
Operators are hampered by confusing rules and guidelines, and this has resulted in 90 per cent of them operating without licences.
Currently, Malaysia is the third largest producer of the costly delicacy behind Indonesia and Thailand, which dominate the export market at 80 and 12 per cent respectively.
"Our share is only about eight per cent, which is worth RM1 billion per annum. We hope to increase our export market and generate some RM5 billion per annum within the next five years," says Datuk Beh Hee Seong, president of the Federation of Malaysian Edible-Nest Swiftlet Merchants Association.
The largest consumer of the interwoven strands of hardened bird's saliva is China, followed by the United States.
Beh said there were 40,000 operators in the country, but the majority were operating without licences.
The reason: the complicated hodgepodge of rules and guidelines set by local authorities in the districts.
As many are operating without licences, it is difficult to monitor their practices. This has resulted in public complaints and protests over the noise and unhygienic conditions of premises where the birds roost.
Beh admits that complaints over noise is a major issue. The operators use recorded bird sounds to attract the swiftlets to nest at their premises.
"The operators will turn up the volume or fail to turn it off after a certain time."
He suggests that licensed operators be given a sticker with a hotline number for complaints. They can affix the sticker on their premises.
As for the business being messy and unhygienic, Beh says the converse is true.
"The public is ill-informed. They think that the birds put them at risk of diseases such as dengue. But with the technology available, most operators are using humidity controllers.
"The swiftlets also eat mosquitoes and flies and only excrete inside the building."
He said the association had proposed that only those who could show a letter of support from residents in the vicinity of the bird motel, be given a licence.
Beh said an operator was considered successful if he could produce 100 bird's nests in a year from one premise.
"For every 1kg of bird's nest, they can get between RM5,000 and RM18,000, depending on the grade of the product," he adds.
Fortunately, the government has given an undertaking to look into the problems faced by the industry.
It has set up a committee to coordinate activities as well as come up with standard rules and regulations for those who want to venture into the business.
Veterinary Services Department director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin admitted that at present, there was an overlapping of local government by-laws, the Animals Act and also the Wildlife Protection Act.
"The role of this technical committee will be to look into the issues faced by the breeders and work with them to come up with standard rules and regulations which will be applicable for the entire industry.
"However, this will take time and for now, we will do our best to assist breeders obtain approval to run their businesses."
He said the cabinet had acknowledged that the industry was highly profitable and had tasked the department with developing it.
"We have started work on a blueprint for the industry and expect it to be ready by the end of the year."
Dr Aziz said there has also been complaints about red tape and problems in applying for a licence.
"We have been informed that there are discrepancies in the export procedures and this eventually leads to the smuggling of the products. We are also looking into a product grading system."
Dr Aziz said the department would help operators obtain the necessary certification, including the halal label.
"This will make their products more marketable, especially in Organisation of Islamic Conference member countries."
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak would be meeting operators soon at a forum in Pekan.
"We are fully supportive of this industry and encourage more people, especially Bumiputeras to venture into it."
He said the department was also looking into the possibility of captive breeding and providing feed throughout the year.
"This way, the birds will be ensured food throughout the year. This kind of environment will also help the birds produce better quality nests.
"However, this method is still being researched. Once we obtain a grant from the government, we will proceed with our pioneer project."
Chinese delicacy for over 400 years
EDIBLE bird's nest is among the most expensive animal product in the world. They have been used in traditional Chinese cooking for more than 400 years.
The nests are built by the male swiftlet over a period of 35 days during the breeding season. It takes the shape of a shallow cup and is stuck to the walls of a cave or building.
The nests consist of interwoven strands of salivary laminae cement and have high levels of calcium, iron, potassium and magnesium.
Negri Sembilan Association of Bird's Nest Traders president Datuk Lee Yuen Fong said the nests were harvested thrice a year, with each harvesting period lasting for up to three months.
"Swiftlets are monogamous birds and both partners take turns caring for the nestlings. The average life span of a swiflet is between 15 and 18 years."
Traditionally, the nests were harvested from limestone caves such as Niah Caves at Niah National Park and Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak. However, over the years, businessmen have turned houses into breeding grounds for swiftlets.
To lure the birds, which breed in colonies, recorded sounds of chirping females are played constantly on speakers.
Lee said it was important to be able to distinguish between genuine and fake bird's nest.
"One of our problems is the increasing number of fake bird's nest in the market."
He said anyone who was familiar with the product would be able to tell them apart.
"Swiftlets build their nests with their saliva. These strands of saliva will detach from each other when soaked in water and will be of different lengths and sizes.
"The strands in a fake product will be identical in size."
He said genuine high quality bird's nests would expand to double its size after being soaked and cooked.
"This is a multi-million ringgit industry and because of this there are many unscrupulous parties trying to cash in."
