Tuesday November 25, 2008
The Star
By SYED AZWAN SYED ALI
MUKAH (SARAWAK): Mukah, a sleepy hollow that can be reached by land via a two-and-a-half hour journey from Sibu, has had very few economic activities.
This scenario has changed with the massive migration of burung walit or swiftlets from Indonesia due to the La Nina meteorological phenomenon and immense forest fires in the republic in the early years of the new millennium.
Full of birds: The view inside a bird-nest building in Mukah.
Real estate values in Mukah and its fringing areas have shot up while the top floors of shophouses and commercial buildings in this town have been turned into homes for these birds.
“Previously, getting RM30,000 for the top floor of a shophouse here was remote. Since the arrival of the swiftlets, offers came in as high as RM200,000,” said bird nest entrepreneur John Low here.
On Oct 13, 2005, the Government lifted restrictions on bird-nest trading apart from acknowledging that the venture had the potential to boost the incomes of locals.
Bird-nest entrepreneurs in other states are required to obtain the nod from the local authorities before creating homes for the birds to safeguard the environment the interests of residents.
However, on Oct 14, Sarawak Forestry Department rangers demolished two bird-nest premises in Medan Setiaraya and New Township Mukah, creating a predicament for bird-nest businessmen.
Mukah Birdnest Association chairman Philip Tiong said the rangers not only demolished the premises but also seized bird nests but and killed young swiftlets.
Good income: A swiftlet building its nest in one of the premises. This happened even though the swiftlets were a protected species, he said.
“We want the state to consider issuing permits and guidelines for us,” said Tiong, who called on Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud to intervene on the issue.
Tiong said, if state authorities were adamant on blanketing out the bird-nest industry, many entrepreneurs, including the 150 members of the association, would be out of business.
Meanwhile, Sarawak Assistant Minister for Planning and Resource Management, Mohd Naroden Majais, was reported to have said that the bird-nest industry came under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998, Wildlife Protection (Edible Bird Nests) Rules 1998 and Wildlife Protection Rules 1998.
It is all right if the birds live in their natural habitat, like inside caves, but they are not allowed in urban areas.
A check by Bernama here found that the swiftlet buildings were clean and free of noise like other premises in the town.
However, the calmness disappears at sundown when the swiftlets return in the tens of thousands to their nests.
This writer was given the opportunity to check a building used to house thousands of swiftlets and found that it was clean, well kept and had good ventilation.
“We adhere to guidelines drawn by the Veterinary Department,” Tiong said, referring to the department’s Good Animal Husbandry Practices (GAHP) certificate.
The certificate is one of the requirements for one to be allowed to venture into the bird-nest industry in Sarawak.
Clearance is also needed from the Wildlife Protection Department, Land Survey Department and local authorities.
Industry sources said the GAHP certificate ensured the industry was well managed apart from preventing infectious diseases like bird flu.
Last July 5, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Chuan said the rearing of swiftlets was allowed at commercial premises and shophouses but not in housing estates.
Trade in bird nests began more than a century ago with the first recorded harvesting carried out at the Niah Caves in Sarawak in 1878.
Indonesia is the first nation to carry out trade in bird nests due to the immense value of the commodity.
There are 10,000 buildings used as swiftlet ranches nationwide, producing 12 tonnes of bird nests a month.
Unprocessed bird nests fetch an average price of RM4,000 per kg. This means the industry is capable of generating RM48mil in turnover a month.
“The price is 10 times higher after the material is processed and graded for export”, said an industry source who wished not to be named.
The industry is not limited to Mukah. Major towns like Kuching, Bintulu, Sarikei and Sibu are alos involved.
“The swiftlets benefit urban dwellers and villagers who lease their land to bird-nest businessmen for up to RM700 a month,” said a caretaker of a swiftlet ranch who wished to be named only as Fadhil.
Civil servant Khalil Ali, who invested RM30,000 on bird-nest premises at his family-owned land in Kampung Oyak, Mukah, called for the Sarawak government to solve the confusion over the industry.
Despite the state’s move to set up five swiftlet eco-parks, including two in Daro and Mukah, the bird-nest issue should be viewed objectively.
The state has to think of ways to transfer the birds to their new homes without having to demolish some 1,500 premises or culling tens of thousands of the protected species.
“We want our shoplots to be legalised. Allow us the same rights as accorded to bird-nest entrepreneurs in the Peninsula,” said Low.
To date, the authorities have issued licences for only two bird-nest premises. — Bernama
