Bird’s nest trade open for all

Friday September 24, 2010
The Star
By RACHAEL KAM
rachael@thestar.com.my


KUALA LUMPUR: Non-Chinese are encouraged to go into bird’s nest farming and retailing, given the huge potential for growth, said Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (ACCCIM) president Tan Sri William Cheng Heng Jem.

He said the industry was no longer a business that was restricted to the Chinese community.

“The bird’s nest business is opening up for all Malaysians due to the large demand for it globally,” he told a press conference on a bird’s nest business seminar here yesterday.

Cheng said there was demand for bird’s nest even from the Middle East.

“We see the potential because more non-Chinese are appreciating this expensive but nutritious product,” he said.

Malaysia is the second largest exporter of bird’s nest followed by Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand.

The country exports about RM1bil worth of bird’s nest a year to Hong Kong, China and Taiwan.

ACCCIM and the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry are jointly organising the seminar on Oct 9.

Cheng said ACCCIM would assist the non-Chinese, especially small entrepreneurs and poor individuals in rural areas to start their own business and generate more income.

ACCCIM secretary-general Datuk David Chua said the seminar would be conducted in Bahasa Malaysia and English, targeting the Malays and Indians.

The seminar will feature experts in the industry who will discuss the guidelines on bird’s nest farming and financial assistance.