RM5mil for swiftlet farming

hmmm.... RM10,000 grant to start swiftlet farming, just wondering what you can do with this amount. This is really going to be fun or havoc, imagine 10 or more families pooling their grant together to start swiftlet farming or some individuals building a swiftlet farm with RM10,000. I wonder if bigger premises are really more productive.
Jackie


Sunday October 31, 2010
The Star
RM5mil for swiftlet farming


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.