Swiftlet farms not allowed on reserve land

The Star: ELAN PERUMAL and STUART MICHAEL at the Selangor state assembly

WITH increasing encroachment by swiftlet farm operators in Kapar Tambahan Forest Reserve area, the Selangor Forestry Department will notify the Kuala Selangor Land Office to get the operators out of the area.

According to state agriculture, natural resources and entrepreneurial development committee chairman Yaakob Sapari, the Kuala Selangor land office had made a mistake in giving out Temporary Occupancy Land (TOL) inside the Kapar Tambahan Forest Reserve.

“This was not supposed to happen as it is under Forestry Land and the Forestry Department is unable to take any action due to this. “The Selangor Forestry Department will submit a working paper to cancel the TOL on the land.

“Then, the Selangor Forestry Depart­­­­ment can start replanting the area with forest trees,’’ said Yaakob, who was asked by Saari Sungib (PR-Hulu Kelang) on the illegal swiftlet farms at the Forest Reserve areas in Selan­gor and other forms of encroachment.

Sarawak Bird’s nest production rises 36% last year value RM 11.4 millions

Wednesday November 3, 2010  By SHARON LING  sharonling@thestar.com.my

SARAWAK’s production of swiftlet nests rose by 36% from 2,095kg in 2008 to 2,854kg last year, with an export value of RM8.37mil and RM11.41mil respectively.

Planning and Resource Management Assistant Minister Naroden Majais said the increase showed that the industry had the potential to be successfully developed in the state. He added that, as of October this year, the production was 1,757kg valued at RM7mil. “Swiftlet farming is a potentially lucrative industry. The market price for swiftlet nests ranges from RM3,000 to RM10,000 per kg depending on the quality and grade of the nests. “China is our biggest market for edible swiftlet nests, followed by Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia,” he told the State Assembly in Kuching in reply to Julaihi Narawi (BN - Sebuyau), Datuk Wan Abdul Wahab Wan Sanusi (BN - Sadong Jaya) and Abu Seman Jahwie (BN - Jemoreng).

Naroden said that two licences were needed for commercial swiftlet farming, one to construct the building for the swiftlets to nest in and one for the rearing of the birds. He said the state received 1,111 applications for swiftlet farming from 2008 to Oct this year. Of this, 248 licences to construct buildings and two to rear swiftlets were approved while the rest were still being evaluated. He added that the construction of swiftlet farms was continuously monitored to prevent illegal farming operations.

“The Forest Department and Sarawak Forestry Corporation conducted two inspections between 2009 and March this year, from which 418 swiftlet farming premises are being investigated. “The state has also issued warnings to owners of illegal swiftlet farms. They are advised to submit the necessary applications,” he said.

RM5mil for swiftlet farming

From http://thestar.com.my/

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government has allocated RM5mil to involve the country’s hardcore poor in the swiftlet farming industry. The Veterinary Services Department has identified 500 families under the e-Kasih database who are eligible to receive an RM10,000 grant each to set up swiftlet premises.

“We will encourage them to collaborate with each other in joint swiftlet farming as bigger premises are more productive and will generate a higher income for them,” said department director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin. He also announced that the swiftlet industry guidelines would be unveiled next month to govern the licensing, farming, processing as well as import and export of bird’s nest.

The industry, which is an entry point project under the Economic Transformation Programme, is expected to capture 30% of the global market and generate revenue of up to US$1.45bil (RM4.5bil) by 2020. “We are encouraging the participation of bumiputras in this industry as they currently only make up 20% of swiftlet farmers in the country,” he said after launching the 7th series of seminars on swiftlet farming at a hotel here yesterday.

Swiftlet farmers are required to attend the one-day seminar before they can be licensed.

M’sia aims for 30% of global birds nest market by 2020

Published: Saturday October 30, 2010 MYT 5:58:00 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia aims to capture 30% of the global birds nest market, which is worth US$1.5bil (RM4.7bil) annually, by 2020 under the government's Economic Transformation Programme.Veterinary Services Department director-general Datuk Dr Abd Aziz Jamaluddin said of the figure, 70% would be food and drink products and the rest as raw material.

"The government has classified birds nest production as a high impact industry that can generate lucrative returns," he told reporters after opening a seminar on the industry organised by Global Excellent Marketing Sdn Bhd and Kelab Usahawan Tani Malaysia, here Saturday. The department, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry are spearheading the industry's growth.

The industry is categorised as an entry point project under the ETP. - Bernama

Swiftlet industry players in Sarawak want their own set of rules

By PHILIP HII
philiphii@thestar.com.my

SWIFTLET industry players in Sarawak are planing to formulate a separate set of guidelines for the state instead of following the national guidelines.

Sarawak Bird Nest Suppliers Association deputy president Jesse Tang said yesterday the decision to have a separate set of guidelines was reached after a two-day emergency meeting attended by representatives from seven bird’s nests merchants and bird’s nests suppliers associations in Sarawak.

Tang said his association would prepare the new guidelines which would be more suitable for the development of the swiftlet industry in Sarawak and present them to the Chief Minister’s Department and Sarawak Forestry Department soon.

The meeting also resolved to urge the authorities to allow swiftlet farmers to maintain the existing bird houses which were built in urban centres.

Tang, however, advised the farmers to maintain the original outlook of the buildings (normally shophouses) which they had converted into bird houses and also to ensure the noise level of the bird calls was within the government approved level at 40 decibel (dB).

He advised swiftlet farmers not to build water ponds inside the bird houses which could be breeding grounds for mosquitoe

Tang said his association was willing to assist anyone interested in swiftlet farming.

“We would like to share and impart the knowledge, wealth and benefits derived from swiftlet farming to anyone interested, regardless of race,” he said.

He estimated that there were now 5,000 bird houses in the state and they produced at least 2,500kg of raw bird’s nests valued at about RM8.8mil a month.

‘Give us alternative site’

From http://thestar.com.my

OPERATORS of swiflet farms in the heritage enclave in George Town are willing to relocate if the authorities identify a new location for them. Association for Swiftlet Nest Industries (ASNI) president Carole Loh said there should be proper planning just like the relocation of hawkers and squatters. “We are only requesting that we’re treated fairly in the relocation process,” she said when contacted yesterday.

She was commenting on the statement by state executive councillor Chow Kon Yeow that the state government would hold a meeting next week to work out a mechanism to implement the three-year grace period for swiftlet farms to move out of the George Town heritage enclave. Chow said the meeting would involve ASNI, Penang Heritage Trust and other related organisations.

He was quoted as saying it was up to the state government to decide when the grace period would begin.The issue of relocation arose after the National Council for Local Government had agreed on Sept 3 for swiftlet farms to move out of the Penang and Malacca heritage enclaves. Loh said the operators were awaiting details on the relocation plan. “It is almost impossible to move out without affecting the swiftlets as putting the birds in cages and moving them out is not the right way. “Swiftlets will return to their nests as soon as they are released from the cage,” she said.

Firm devises swift way to nest egg

from www.thestar.com.my By MANJIT KAUR
manjit@thestar.com.my

BUKIT MERTAJAM: A Kulim-based company has come up with a new method of breeding swiftlets in an artificial environment.Aeroswift Group of Companies group chief executive officer Khairil Sani Wong Abdullah said they are the first private company collaborating with the Veterinary Services Department and several local universities to perfect the technique. He claimed that his research-based company was the first in the world to have created an aviary in Kulim using the know-how.

Tender care: Baby swiftlets in plastic nests being fed at the Aeroswift Group of Companies. “We also have a section to breed a type of fruit fly which is used to feed the swiftlet chicks. The chicks are raised in plastic nests before they are transferred to huge cages.“The method has proven to be successful and this will stabilise the multi-billion ringgit industry for the future,” he said at an Awareness of Swiftlet Rearing Industry talk at a hotel here.

 

Khairil said a bigger research centre was being built in Selangor and it will have 12 research officers and veterinarians based there when completed by the end of next month. He added that Malaysia is the only country which legally exported bird nest to China, and there was huge market in the Middle-East and Europe as well.