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Introduction
The edible birds' nests industry in Malaysia, on the other hand, has a
much longer and illustrious history having been in consistent operation
for the last 100 odd years, and is made up primarily of cottage style
operations and mainly run by SMI and SME businessmen. Prior to 5
years ago, these SMI and SME businessmen mainly source birds nests
from indigenous suppliers who collect the nests from caves, which are
the natural habitat of edible nests swiftlets. As the swiftlet farming
industry continues to expand and grow, more and more supplies of
edible birds' nests sourced from purpose-built farms that are
constructed specially to house edible nests swiftlets find their way into
the supply chain.
The swiftlet farming industry has the potential to grow into a multi-
million ringgit industry due to the industry’s relatively profitable risk-
return profile as well as a continuously growing demand for edible
birds nests by wealthy overseas countries. There is also a discernable
world-wide trend pursued by international as well as home grown
pharmaceutical and herbal products companies in using edible birds’
nests as base materials for producing natural and organic health
supplement products for local and overseas consumption.
Almost 99% of all swiftlet farms in Malaysia are geared towards the
production of white edible birds’ nests.
The premises that these businesses were located in were left empty
due to the fact that no other businesses had sprung up to take their
place as a result of the depressed economic environment at that time.
Rather than leave their properties idle, quite a number of the landlords
for these properties then had decided to convert their untenanted
properties into swiftlet farms. At that time, there was only one
research and development company specializing in the establishment
of swiftlet farms in Malaysia and had almost single-handedly aided and
helped grow the industry into becoming what it is today.
Over the last 20 years, the swiftlet farming industry in the country
basically grew through mostly private funding and operational
initiatives and without any help whatsoever from the public sector.
The major swiftlet farming areas are located mostly in secondary and
tertiary townships where food source is in abundance and pollution
levels are at their relative minimum. These secondary and tertiary
townships include Kampong Tebing, Kampong Tasoh, Kampong Banat
Bawah, Jampong Bakan, Kuala Nerang, Pokok Sena, Kampong
Tanjung Radin, Kuala Ketil, Lunas, Kulim, Sungai Petani, Jitra, Bukit
Mertajam, Nibong Tebal, Kepala Batas, Cangkat Kledang, Legong,
Jelai, Cangkat Jering, Bruas, Pantai Remis, Lumut, Teluk Intan,
Setiawan, Bagan Serai, Parit Buntar, Selama, Tanjung Malim, Kuala
Kubu Bahru, Rawang, Kepong, Cheras, Slim River, Kulai, Kanpong
Bahru Paroi, Alor Gajah, Ayer Pasir, Durian Tunggal, Tangkok, Pagoh,
Bukit Pasir, Kampong Machap, Ulu Tiram, Tai Hong Village, Senai,
Pontian Kecil, Jemaluang, Kampong Seri Pantai, Mersing, Kampong
Sawah Datuk, Kampong Air Papan, Kuala Besut, Tok Soboh, Kampong
Pinang, Rompin, Pekan, Kuala Terengganu and Pasir Mas.
The main export markets for edible birds’ nests are Hong Kong (50%
of world trade), China (8%), Taiwan (4%) and Macau (3%) with a
consumption weight value of approximately 160 tons for 2006. The
total consumption value of edible birds' nests throughout the world in
2006 was estimated to be in the vicinity of RM8 billion to RM12 billion.
The Regulatory Framework Governing Swiftlet Farming
This Report has determined that the swiftlet farming industry in the
country as at the end of 2006 is made up of the following participant
groups:
1. Crystal Swiftlets
2. Aerodramus Consultancy
While the World Wide Web and the internet are important tools for
information dissemination with regards to the Malaysian swiftlet
farming industry, these tools are also prone to being taken advantage
of by site operators sprouting questionable claims with regards to the
products and services that they provide. The members of the
Committee who compiled this Report have personally encountered a
handful of sites which contain representations of high capabilities and
performances bordering on grandeur which may not be entirely
accurate.
Conclusions
The 2007 Malaysian Swiftlet Farming Industry Report indicates that
there is a strong likelihood for continuous above-average growth of the
swiftlet farming industry in Malaysia over the next decade most
probably due to the continuous high price of edible birds' nests on
international markets as well as the continuous advancements being
made in the area of swiftlet farming.
Note:
This Report was commissioned by the Small Medium Industries Association of Penang with
funding from the SMI Agricultural Grant Scheme and prepared by the Agricultural and Agro-
based Businesses Sub-Committee according to the Association’s strict academic and report
publication standards. Links contained in the summary of this Report are authorised and
licensed under the Fair Use provisions of the Copyright Act and the Computer Crimes Act.
Should the owners of any of the above links withdraw their authorization, kindly inform the
sub-committee at enquiries@smipenang.com and the said link shall be removed from the
above Summary and deleted from the Original Report within 24 hours.
Disclaimer:
All information contained in this Report was prepared and published as an information
resource only. The SMI Association of Penang disclaims all liabilities and due care
responsibilities for any loss associated with the usage of this report for decision making
purposes. Should any decision making be required, the services of a qualified individual and or
corporate entity MUST first be sought by the user whereby all liabilities and due care
responsibilities for any loss shall fully be borne by the same.
The links provided above by the Report does not in any way, either implicitly or explicitly,
amount to a recommendation by the Association as to the trustworthiness and professionalism
of the services provided by those sites. Individual inquiry by any interested parties is to be
regarded as compulsory in order to determine the above trustworthiness and professionalism
of such sites.
Addendum:
The 2007 Malaysian Swiftlet Farming Report is now officially out of print due to the strong demand from
members and the public. For those who are interested, kindly register yourselves at our above email
address and we will contact you when the new print run has been completed. Thank you.