Workers clean edible bird’s nests at a processing facility. Post Staff
The Cambodian government has urged the owners of swiftlet nest houses and processing facilities who wish to export edible bird’s nests to the Chinese market to apply for the necessary paperwork. Applications can be made through the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, as part of an initiative which aims to accelerate exports.
During the April official visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, 37 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed between representatives of the two governments. Among them, three pertained to Cambodian agricultural products – edible bird’s nests, durians and crocodiles – which were recently granted export permission to China.
On May 16, the agriculture ministry issued a notice calling on both swiftlet nest processors and household swiftlet keepers to submit applications, so that ministry officials can conduct inspections and ensure they meet Chinese requirements.
“The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries calls upon owners of swiftlet nest processing facilities and household swiftlet keepers who intend to export edible bird’s nests to China to submit their applications to the ministry. After receiving the applications, specialised units will conduct inspections and evaluations in line with technical standards outlined in the protocol and in coordination with Chinese customs authorities for export procedures,” it said.
Nang Sothy, president of the Cambodia Swiftlet Federation, expressed his support and urged all swiftlet nest processors and household keepers to submit their applications. Her explained that Cambodian swiftlet nests are recognised for their high quality, thanks to the country’s clean environment and minimal chemical pollution compared to others in the region.
This is the responsibility of the agricultural ministry, especially the Forestry Administration, which oversees swiftlet conservation. As far as I know, eight companies have officially registered and submitted their names to the Chinese side,” he told The Post on May 27.
He noted that despite the MoUs signed between the two governments, there are still three major unresolved issues: 1.The source of the swiftlet nests, 2. How products that fail to be meet Chinese standards will be returned, and 3. The total amount of swiftlet nests that can be collected nationwide.
“Despite these issues, I believe the production of our edible bird’s nests is of high quality and competitively priced,” he said.
According to Sothy, there are currently between 3,500 and 5,000 swiftlet houses in Cambodia. However, only about 700 have been registered with the ministry. Most swiftlet houses are located in coastal provinces such as Kampot and Koh Kong, but the construction of swiftlet houses has now expanded to Kampong Thom, Stung Treng, Preah Vihear and other provinces surrounding the Tonle Sap Lake.
