Friday December 31, 2010
The Star
By OH ING YEEN
ingyeen@thestar.com.my
THE Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) will not approve new applications for swiftlet breeding in commercial and residential areas until the Selangor government’s guidelines are drawn out, council president Datuk Hassan Nawawi Abdul Rahman said.
Councillor S.T. Chandramohan added that no action would be taken against existing swiftlet breeders.
“However, under the council’s Street, Drainage and Building Act, breeding of animals is not allowed in commercial and residential areas.
“Under the same Act, swiftlet breeders in commercial and residential areas are also at fault for the misuse of premises,” Chandramohan said.
On the issue on under-performing contractors, he said although a contractor is blacklisted, he might apply for jobs through another company.
“The council’s new policy is that when a particular contractor does not perform, he should not be given new projects,” he said.
It was also highlighted at the meeting that a stop-work order was issued to the owner of the Hulu Langat MCA branch building.
“We received complaints that illegal extensions were built and the council’s building unit have verified this. They applied for a fourth floor to be added and it was rejected for several reasons but they continued building it. They will have to demolish it,” Chandramohan said.
He added that until now the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) has yet to approve the building plans as this did not follow requirements.
“DID advised them to strengthen the river banks but instead of doing that, one part of the wall has encroached the river.”
Kajang assemblyman Lee Kim Sin added that this affected the river flow.
Chandramohan also pointed out that a stop-work order was issued earlier because they had built a substation in the car park.
Meanwhile, in response to the state’s decision to ban the 1Malaysia logo, the council is covering those found at bus stops in the municipality.
“We will place bus schedules over the logo,” Hassan Nawawi said.
It was also announced at the meeting that upgrading work for 96 bus stops have been completed.
Funds for the project amounting to RM2.3mil were allocated by the Federal Government.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Temporary licences for swiftlet farms
Wednesday December 22, 2010
The Star
By ELAN PERUMAL
elan@thestar.com.my
OPERATORS of swiftlet farms in Selangor have been asked to apply for temporary licences from their respective local authorities.
The Selangor Government has decided to legalise swiftlet farms in a temporary move while awaiting the standard guidelines to be ready.
State local government committee chairman Ronnie Liu said they were finalising the details of the licensing conditions.
He said the standard guidelines would be ready in six months.
He added that the move was necessary for the local authorities to collect licensing fee from the operators.
“The swiftlet operators have been operating farms without paying any form of licensing fees and this has resulted in a loss of income for the local authorities.
“Now, the local authorities will be able to get some revenue from the swiflet breeders.
“We are also working closely with the Veterinary Department on the details of the licensing conditions,’’ he said.
Liu said applications from those operating at high-density areas, including towns, would not be entertained.
“However, consideration will be given to those who are operating at remote areas,’’ he said.
The Star
By ELAN PERUMAL
elan@thestar.com.my
OPERATORS of swiftlet farms in Selangor have been asked to apply for temporary licences from their respective local authorities.
The Selangor Government has decided to legalise swiftlet farms in a temporary move while awaiting the standard guidelines to be ready.
State local government committee chairman Ronnie Liu said they were finalising the details of the licensing conditions.
He said the standard guidelines would be ready in six months.
He added that the move was necessary for the local authorities to collect licensing fee from the operators.
“The swiftlet operators have been operating farms without paying any form of licensing fees and this has resulted in a loss of income for the local authorities.
“Now, the local authorities will be able to get some revenue from the swiflet breeders.
“We are also working closely with the Veterinary Department on the details of the licensing conditions,’’ he said.
Liu said applications from those operating at high-density areas, including towns, would not be entertained.
“However, consideration will be given to those who are operating at remote areas,’’ he said.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Action on swiftlet farms
Tuesday November 30, 2010
By ANDY CHUA
andychua@thestar.com.my
THE Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) has issued a warning to shophouse and residential property owners that it will take action against those who operate swiftlet farms in their property.
Chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King said at SMC’s full council meeting yesterday that as swiftlet farming was a lucrative business, those involved in the business should not violate the law by operating such farms in their premises.
Tiong: SMC will take action on illegal swiftlet farming.
The council, he said, had received many complaints about swiftlet farming causing serious environmental issues, in particular noise and bird droppings.
“The council will take action on the complaints under the Public Health Ordinance even though the licensing of the farms is under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department,” said Tiong.
In another development, Tiong said during a few cleaning campaigns organised by non-government organisations (NGOs), he had personally discovered that littering and illegal dumping of waste were still rampant especially in residential areas.
He said while the council had sweepers to clean up the town centre, commercial centres and protocol roads daily, it hoped that residents would also take care of their own surroundings, in particular road verges in their neighbourhood where people tend to litter.
“If everyone starts to pick up litter from the road verges in front of their houses, it will definitely make a lot of difference to the cleanliness of their neighbourhood,” he said.
Tiong also posed a challenge to NGOs to extend their cleaning campaigns beyond merely picking up litter and wastes by including education. He suggested that they distributed educational leaflets and give talks to residents on the importance to have a clean environment.
He said this was particularly important in view of the increasing cases of dengue in the town this year.
By ANDY CHUA
andychua@thestar.com.my
THE Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) has issued a warning to shophouse and residential property owners that it will take action against those who operate swiftlet farms in their property.
Chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King said at SMC’s full council meeting yesterday that as swiftlet farming was a lucrative business, those involved in the business should not violate the law by operating such farms in their premises.
Tiong: SMC will take action on illegal swiftlet farming.
The council, he said, had received many complaints about swiftlet farming causing serious environmental issues, in particular noise and bird droppings.
“The council will take action on the complaints under the Public Health Ordinance even though the licensing of the farms is under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department,” said Tiong.
In another development, Tiong said during a few cleaning campaigns organised by non-government organisations (NGOs), he had personally discovered that littering and illegal dumping of waste were still rampant especially in residential areas.
He said while the council had sweepers to clean up the town centre, commercial centres and protocol roads daily, it hoped that residents would also take care of their own surroundings, in particular road verges in their neighbourhood where people tend to litter.
“If everyone starts to pick up litter from the road verges in front of their houses, it will definitely make a lot of difference to the cleanliness of their neighbourhood,” he said.
Tiong also posed a challenge to NGOs to extend their cleaning campaigns beyond merely picking up litter and wastes by including education. He suggested that they distributed educational leaflets and give talks to residents on the importance to have a clean environment.
He said this was particularly important in view of the increasing cases of dengue in the town this year.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Investing in less well-known asset classes
Saturday November 27, 2010
By JEEVA ARULAMPALAM
jeeva@thestar.com.my
TO part with one's hard-earned money is painful but to lose it completely in an investment gone awry is heartbreaking. With various investment tools and schemes coming to market, investors are inundated with choices.
While many investors opt for more well-known asset classes such as equities, bonds, properties and money markets, there are also those who are game to try a less popular option interest schemes.
According to the Companies Commission of Malaysia, interest schemes have been in existence for more than 20 years in Malaysia.
The commission says that properly registered and well-managed interest schemes could play a major role in contributing to the growth of the Malaysian economy and provide an alternative mode of fund raising through participation in a variety of business models.
There are seven types of registered interest schemes in Malaysia the sale of memberships by golf clubs, recreational clubs, marinas, time-sharing, fitness clubs, the sale of license for use of urns and burial plots by memorial parks, and the sale of growers' plot in share-farming schemes.
Local investors may be familiar with two registered share-farming schemes Country Heights Grower Scheme and Golden Palm Growers Scheme which allow investors to reap returns by purchasing oil palm plantation plots.
The latest edition to join the two existing share-farming schemes is Malaysia's first legalised edible-birdnest Swiftlet Ranching Share Farming Interest Scheme by Swiflet Eco Park Bhd.
According to the scheme's prospectus dated Sept 9, the management company plans to set up an interest scheme for a 35 year duration that involves edible-birdnest swiflet ranching and offer units for sale to the public. Some 2,060 interest scheme units will be sold to the public at RM10,000 per unit.
The company has been conducting seminars across Malaysia on its interest scheme. The current prospectus will expire next March and a new prospectus will be issued every six months.
Swiftlet Eco Park is part of a holding company that is involved in the planning, development, construction and marketing of customed-built and licensed swiftlet farms.
According to the group's website, its first project in Manjung, Perak was developed in collaboration with the Perak State Development Corp. The group is developing 14 other similar projects all over Malaysia and targets to complete 25 projects with 1,000 licensed buildings over the next three years at a gross development value of RM500mil.
Aside from upstream activities of swiflet ranching, the group is also involved in the downstream business such as the collection and buying of raw bird's nest and its processing. It also does manufacturing, branding, wholesale, retail, direct selling, setting up chain stores and research and development.
The company's chief executive officer CH Tan tells StarBizWeek that the group is looking at an integrated approach of upstream and downstream business, given the global demand for the edible swiftlet nest industry.
It is estimated that there are some 50,000 (bird) buildings in this country and that is expected to double by 2015. The raw unprocessed edible-birdnest price ranges between RM4,000-RM5,000 per kg while the processed price ranges from RM11,000-RM19,000 per kg, he says.
It has been reported that Malaysia is looking to table a swiftlet industry guideline in Cabinet to provide a framework for the industry to operate in a sustainable manner and place the country ahead of leading bird's nest producers like Indonesia and Thailand.
Tan says the Swiftlet Ranching Share Farming scheme, which has drawn interest from foreign and local investors alike, has appointed PB Trustee Services Bhd as the trustee for investors' monies. The appointment of the trustee was verified by StarBizWeek.
The monies will be held by the trustee during the cooling-off period and upon release of the funds for the construction of the bird buildings, the land title, grant and buildings will be kept under the trustee, Tan adds.
The prospectus also highlights the various risks associated with the swiftlet industry such as the changes in world demand for edible birdnest, price fluctuations of edible birdnest, threat of bird flu and other disease outbreaks and changes in the regulatory and economic conditions.
As with all investments, financial services practitioners do caution investors to carry-out their own checks before investing.
Understandably, there are those who are also wary of such schemes. Some financial planners contacted say they would prefer to stay clear from interest schemes that pose high risk and have no means of safeguarding investors' capital.
It is important for potential investors to do some homework, as in all other forms of investments.
Among the fundamentals investors should check for include an investment's legitimacy, the underlying business model, the risks, whether their principal is intact and/or repaid, guarantees, authorities' approvals, the underlying founders/promoters, other competition or such schemes in the market, says NewAsia Capital Sdn Bhd associate director Sherilyn Foong.
Foong says that investors need to realise that with any investment scheme, there is no such thing as zero risk for high returns.
There are many such schemes with different underlying income-generating assets or businesses in the market. Investors should look at the scheme to detect any ponzi-like or pyramid features, she adds.
Her advice is simple if the investor is happy with the commensurate risks and returns as well as the potential worst case scenario, then the investor can proceed to invest.
By JEEVA ARULAMPALAM
jeeva@thestar.com.my
TO part with one's hard-earned money is painful but to lose it completely in an investment gone awry is heartbreaking. With various investment tools and schemes coming to market, investors are inundated with choices.
While many investors opt for more well-known asset classes such as equities, bonds, properties and money markets, there are also those who are game to try a less popular option interest schemes.
According to the Companies Commission of Malaysia, interest schemes have been in existence for more than 20 years in Malaysia.
The commission says that properly registered and well-managed interest schemes could play a major role in contributing to the growth of the Malaysian economy and provide an alternative mode of fund raising through participation in a variety of business models.
There are seven types of registered interest schemes in Malaysia the sale of memberships by golf clubs, recreational clubs, marinas, time-sharing, fitness clubs, the sale of license for use of urns and burial plots by memorial parks, and the sale of growers' plot in share-farming schemes.
Local investors may be familiar with two registered share-farming schemes Country Heights Grower Scheme and Golden Palm Growers Scheme which allow investors to reap returns by purchasing oil palm plantation plots.
The latest edition to join the two existing share-farming schemes is Malaysia's first legalised edible-birdnest Swiftlet Ranching Share Farming Interest Scheme by Swiflet Eco Park Bhd.
According to the scheme's prospectus dated Sept 9, the management company plans to set up an interest scheme for a 35 year duration that involves edible-birdnest swiflet ranching and offer units for sale to the public. Some 2,060 interest scheme units will be sold to the public at RM10,000 per unit.
The company has been conducting seminars across Malaysia on its interest scheme. The current prospectus will expire next March and a new prospectus will be issued every six months.
Swiftlet Eco Park is part of a holding company that is involved in the planning, development, construction and marketing of customed-built and licensed swiftlet farms.
According to the group's website, its first project in Manjung, Perak was developed in collaboration with the Perak State Development Corp. The group is developing 14 other similar projects all over Malaysia and targets to complete 25 projects with 1,000 licensed buildings over the next three years at a gross development value of RM500mil.
Aside from upstream activities of swiflet ranching, the group is also involved in the downstream business such as the collection and buying of raw bird's nest and its processing. It also does manufacturing, branding, wholesale, retail, direct selling, setting up chain stores and research and development.
The company's chief executive officer CH Tan tells StarBizWeek that the group is looking at an integrated approach of upstream and downstream business, given the global demand for the edible swiftlet nest industry.
It is estimated that there are some 50,000 (bird) buildings in this country and that is expected to double by 2015. The raw unprocessed edible-birdnest price ranges between RM4,000-RM5,000 per kg while the processed price ranges from RM11,000-RM19,000 per kg, he says.
It has been reported that Malaysia is looking to table a swiftlet industry guideline in Cabinet to provide a framework for the industry to operate in a sustainable manner and place the country ahead of leading bird's nest producers like Indonesia and Thailand.
Tan says the Swiftlet Ranching Share Farming scheme, which has drawn interest from foreign and local investors alike, has appointed PB Trustee Services Bhd as the trustee for investors' monies. The appointment of the trustee was verified by StarBizWeek.
The monies will be held by the trustee during the cooling-off period and upon release of the funds for the construction of the bird buildings, the land title, grant and buildings will be kept under the trustee, Tan adds.
The prospectus also highlights the various risks associated with the swiftlet industry such as the changes in world demand for edible birdnest, price fluctuations of edible birdnest, threat of bird flu and other disease outbreaks and changes in the regulatory and economic conditions.
As with all investments, financial services practitioners do caution investors to carry-out their own checks before investing.
Understandably, there are those who are also wary of such schemes. Some financial planners contacted say they would prefer to stay clear from interest schemes that pose high risk and have no means of safeguarding investors' capital.
It is important for potential investors to do some homework, as in all other forms of investments.
Among the fundamentals investors should check for include an investment's legitimacy, the underlying business model, the risks, whether their principal is intact and/or repaid, guarantees, authorities' approvals, the underlying founders/promoters, other competition or such schemes in the market, says NewAsia Capital Sdn Bhd associate director Sherilyn Foong.
Foong says that investors need to realise that with any investment scheme, there is no such thing as zero risk for high returns.
There are many such schemes with different underlying income-generating assets or businesses in the market. Investors should look at the scheme to detect any ponzi-like or pyramid features, she adds.
Her advice is simple if the investor is happy with the commensurate risks and returns as well as the potential worst case scenario, then the investor can proceed to invest.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Swiftlet farms not allowed on reserve land
Tuesday November 16, 2010
The Star
ELAN PERUMAL and STUART MICHAEL at the Selangor state assembly
WITH increasing encroachment by swiftlet farm operators in Kapar Tambahan Forest Reserve area, the Selangor Forestry Department will notify the Kuala Selangor Land Office to get the operators out of the area.
According to state agriculture, natural resources and entrepreneurial development committee chairman Yaakob Sapari, the Kuala Selangor land office had made a mistake in giving out Temporary Occupancy Land (TOL) inside the Kapar Tambahan Forest Reserve.
“This was not supposed to happen as it is under Forestry Land and the Forestry Department is unable to take any action due to this.
“The Selangor Forestry Department will submit a working paper to cancel the TOL on the land.
“Then, the Selangor Forestry Department can start replanting the area with forest trees,’’ said Yaakob, who was asked by Saari Sungib (PR-Hulu Kelang) on the illegal swiftlet farms at the Forest Reserve areas in Selangor and other forms of encroachment.
The Star
ELAN PERUMAL and STUART MICHAEL at the Selangor state assembly
WITH increasing encroachment by swiftlet farm operators in Kapar Tambahan Forest Reserve area, the Selangor Forestry Department will notify the Kuala Selangor Land Office to get the operators out of the area.
According to state agriculture, natural resources and entrepreneurial development committee chairman Yaakob Sapari, the Kuala Selangor land office had made a mistake in giving out Temporary Occupancy Land (TOL) inside the Kapar Tambahan Forest Reserve.
“This was not supposed to happen as it is under Forestry Land and the Forestry Department is unable to take any action due to this.
“The Selangor Forestry Department will submit a working paper to cancel the TOL on the land.
“Then, the Selangor Forestry Department can start replanting the area with forest trees,’’ said Yaakob, who was asked by Saari Sungib (PR-Hulu Kelang) on the illegal swiftlet farms at the Forest Reserve areas in Selangor and other forms of encroachment.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Bird’s nest production rises 36% last year
Wednesday November 3, 2010
By SHARON LING
sharonling@thestar.com.my
SARAWAK’s production of swiftlet nests rose by 36% from 2,095kg in 2008 to 2,854kg last year, with an export value of RM8.37mil and RM11.41mil respectively.
Planning and Resource Management Assistant Minister Naroden Majais said the increase showed that the industry had the potential to be successfully developed in the state.
He added that, as of October this year, the production was 1,757kg valued at RM7mil.
“Swiftlet farming is a potentially lucrative industry. The market price for swiftlet nests ranges from RM3,000 to RM10,000 per kg depending on the quality and grade of the nests.
“China is our biggest market for edible swiftlet nests, followed by Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia,” he told the State Assembly in Kuching in reply to Julaihi Narawi (BN - Sebuyau), Datuk Wan Abdul Wahab Wan Sanusi (BN - Sadong Jaya) and Abu Seman Jahwie (BN - Jemoreng).
Naroden said that two licences were needed for commercial swiftlet farming, one to construct the building for the swiftlets to nest in and one for the rearing of the birds.
He said the state received 1,111 applications for swiftlet farming from 2008 to Oct this year. Of this, 248 licences to construct buildings and two to rear swiftlets were approved while the rest were still being evaluated.
He added that the construction of swiftlet farms was continuously monitored to prevent illegal farming operations.
“The Forest Department and Sarawak Forestry Corporation conducted two inspections between 2009 and March this year, from which 418 swiftlet farming premises are being investigated.
“The state has also issued warnings to owners of illegal swiftlet farms. They are advised to submit the necessary applications,” he said.
By SHARON LING
sharonling@thestar.com.my
SARAWAK’s production of swiftlet nests rose by 36% from 2,095kg in 2008 to 2,854kg last year, with an export value of RM8.37mil and RM11.41mil respectively.
Planning and Resource Management Assistant Minister Naroden Majais said the increase showed that the industry had the potential to be successfully developed in the state.
He added that, as of October this year, the production was 1,757kg valued at RM7mil.
“Swiftlet farming is a potentially lucrative industry. The market price for swiftlet nests ranges from RM3,000 to RM10,000 per kg depending on the quality and grade of the nests.
“China is our biggest market for edible swiftlet nests, followed by Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia,” he told the State Assembly in Kuching in reply to Julaihi Narawi (BN - Sebuyau), Datuk Wan Abdul Wahab Wan Sanusi (BN - Sadong Jaya) and Abu Seman Jahwie (BN - Jemoreng).
Naroden said that two licences were needed for commercial swiftlet farming, one to construct the building for the swiftlets to nest in and one for the rearing of the birds.
He said the state received 1,111 applications for swiftlet farming from 2008 to Oct this year. Of this, 248 licences to construct buildings and two to rear swiftlets were approved while the rest were still being evaluated.
He added that the construction of swiftlet farms was continuously monitored to prevent illegal farming operations.
“The Forest Department and Sarawak Forestry Corporation conducted two inspections between 2009 and March this year, from which 418 swiftlet farming premises are being investigated.
“The state has also issued warnings to owners of illegal swiftlet farms. They are advised to submit the necessary applications,” he said.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
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.
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.
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