Export Raw edible Bird nest to c

Malaysian Bird’s nest producers, hit hard with recent export restrictions to China.

Malaysia exports approximately 100 tones of bird’s nests annually, with China and Hong Kong taking up the bulk of the exports.

China had issued a ban on Malaysian bird’s nests last July, 2011 after a nitrate level of up to 200 parts per million (ppm) was detected in them.

After negotiations between the two countries, the ban was lifted in April, 2012 with three conditions, the primary being the bird’s nests must contain less than 30 ppm in nitrate levels.

The other conditions are requiring certificates of approval from the Veterinary Department and Health Ministry, and the installation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFI) devices for closer monitoring.

However, local industry players had rejected the installation of RFI due to concerns of implementation and that similar regulations had been rejected in other countries as it was unnecessary.

The ban has been in effect for more than a year now and is destroying the industry; players now have no choice but to seek alternatives to mitigate losses and the domestic market seems to be the best solution.

Exports to China and Hong Kong take up to 80 per cent of all bird’s nest produced in the industry but the ban has nearly caused the industry’s collapse.

Prices of bird nest have also fallen by 60-70 per cent in the last one year.

The association hopes to increase local consumption to 30 or 40 per cent in order for the local bird’s nest industry to survive.

Bird’s nests are considered high end delicacies by the common man and is unaffordable.

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Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) certificate is one of the conditions to export of bird's nests to China.

The requirement by China for RFID for bird's nest export is likely to hit Sabah and Sarawak which harvest its nests from natural caves. The two states have the largest number of natural caves in Malaysia.

Chinese authorities have agreed to the 30 parts per million (ppm) level of nitrite in the bird's nest.

It is a very difficult task for Malaysian Government to install RFID in every one of the 60,000 swiftlet farm houses in Malaysia in a short time.

A temporary ban was imposed by China in July, 2012 after China allegedly found that Malaysia's bird's nest samples contained 200ppm of nitrate.

The standard level allowed by the World Health Organization is 34ppm.

In April,2012 Chinese authorities agreed that the nitrate content of bird's nest should not exceed 30ppm.

They also demanded three conditions for the resumption of exports to China.

Among them were that

1) Malaysian exporters must have the RFID certificate issued by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to detect the locations of problematic bird's nests using radio wave frequency.

2) Veterinary Department's certificate of health and

3) Health Ministry certificate.

Trade of Swiftlet nests

Trade of Swiftlet nests began in China during the T'ang Dynasty (A.D. 618-907).

China is the prime consumer of a soup made from these nests (bird's nest soup), which is considered the "caviar of the East" until a policy of austerity under communist rule discouraged such extravagance.

Recent relaxation of controls in China has led to a surge in demand for Bird's Nest Soup.

China is importing enormous amounts of ingredients for the soup from countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia.

This is now threatening the swift populations and has led CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) to consider adding the bird and its nest to its lists of endangered species.