SWIFTLET FARM PRODUCTION
Dr
Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow), MRCVS
First Written: 30 September, 2007
29 July, 2010
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Monday July 26, 2010
"Switch off the phone, switch it off," the group of
"aunties" spoke loudly to a member of the group whose
phone emitted extremely loud musical noises as the Air
Asia plane from Penang was about to land in Singapore at
8.30 pm Monday July 26, 2010. But the old woman answered
her phone in the Hokkien dialect: "I am in Singapore
now. What did you say? Can't hear you well. Speak up,
speak up..."
"The plane is going to crash if you don't switch off
your mobile phone," one aunty shouted. "Switch off,
switch off..your phone."
But no cabin crew or passenger rushed to take the phone
off the culprit. Air Asia cabin crew had advised about
switching off the mobile phone before the plane lifted
off from Penang, but the language was English and Malay.
The old Chinese woman understood neither and so she did
not switch off her mobile phone. No Singapoeans died as
the plane did not explode.
I was in Penang to visit a swiftlet farming consultancy,
Crystal Swiftlets, www.crystalswiftlets.com, with my
mentor. A vet there picked us up. It was a bright sunny
day in Penang. I will just record briefly in draft form,
my visit this morning before I get sucked into the daily
routine in Singapore and don't record anything.
SWIFTLET FARMING
1. Swiftlet farming can mean big money as there is no
need to provide feed for the swiftlets. Food can account
for a big % of the production cost. They fly out to eat
only flying insects (airborne and therefore healthy).
 2. According to the consultancy, only 2 of around 15
species of swiftlets are worth investing. "In such
situation, building a house for swiftlet production may
result in losses if the wrong species come to nest," I
asked. The consultant said that a site test would be
conducted to see whether there is the useful species.
This involved the use of vocalisation (music in CD, etc)
and other methods by the consultancy.
The most useful species is Aerodramus fuciphagus which
produces the high quality birds' nest in great demand.
Its bird nest consists of white edible nest. 97.5% of
the nest is made up of valuable glyco-proteins said to
be good for the health of the consumer. The other useful
species is Aerodramus maximus. Other species produce
nests mixed with other twigs and branches.
3. Prices. In 2006, RM$4,000 - RM5,000/kg. l kg = around
110 nests. Wholesale price is around RM 40.00/nest.
4. Breeding cycle: 4-monthly. Weight of the adult bird
is 8-10 grams. The birds have such short legs that they
don't land on the ground since they can fly up again.
5. Swiftlet farming in Malaysia. It is a dirty smelly
job and there are predators, the consultant said to me.
There are scam investments asking people for money and
then disappearing. Sungei Pantai and Alor Star syndicate
claims they have >30 successful swiftlet farms. 1 farm
produces 3 kg of birds' nest = RM9,000/month. A Penang
couple tricked church goers into investing in their bird
nest business and disappeared with the money. The Penang
vet said that 80% of the farms close down.
5.5 storeys allowed in Malaysia now. Ground floor is
housing for workers or holiday guests. Cost of
construction around RM400,000. For 3.5 storeys, cost is
around RM300,000.
Adult and bigger birds do not sleep inside the small
nests. Baby birds fall down and die if disturbed. They
cling onto the sides of the nests as they grow up.
Within 3 days, a swiftlet will build another nest if
people start removing the nest. "Obviously, the swiftlet
will go away if nests or eggs get removed," the
consultant said. The swiftlet lays a maximum of two eggs
per season. If one egg is removed, it will not encourage
more eggs to be laid unlike chickens. Eggs artificially
incubated will result in weak flyers or birds that don't
return to the nesting place. Adult weight said to be 6-8
g. I saw a dead swiftlet at the office. It was small but
had long wings. Cannot walk on the ground as it has
short legs.
A.fuciphagus nests further inside the house while A.
maximus nest further out, the consultant said.
Rainy season, few airborne insects, affects production.
The swiftlets need flying insects.
Attend courses at the consultancy:
1. Private individuals from Myanmar and elsewhere. Buy
least cost players (RM140) to play the USB vocals to
attract the swiftlets.
2. Big joint-venture private-govt company in Ho Chih
Min, Vietnam was provided consultancy and had built 11
farms for the company. Now, the company wants to build
another 22 farms.
6. "Just build a house in an area where the birds have
access to flying insects and provide the appropriate
environment including the vocal cries of A. fuciphagus,"
my mentor thought. "Not so easy," the consultant said.
"There needs to be a site test to see if A. fuciphagus
or maximus are present. A. fuciphagus produces 95 - 99%
of the white colour in the nest with few % of feathers
unlike other species. A. maximus produces 55%." South
east Asia is the area where swiftlets are found.
Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are the top producers
of birds' nest.
7. Predators are many. Owls, snakes (green ones love
eggs), bats, lizards and cockroaches (eats nest and baby
birds). "I think the main predator is human beings," I
said to my mentor. "If the birds' nests are so valuable,
what is there to stop the workers from selling the nests
enriching themselves?"
8. Government regulations in Malaysia. Land control
(does not permit residences to be used for swiftlet
farming or give licence yearly), veterinary control
(audit of bird nests, check for nitrite contamination),
export licence needed nowadays. Agriculture land may be
the long-term solution. Can bird nests be produced in
urban areas? Yes, if conditions are right. She said that
Georgetown has around 500 bird nest farms, mostly in
shophouses, according to the consultant. I don't hear
any swiftlet farming in Singapore but then prices of
land are higher here. In Malaysia, only 10% of the
one-acre agricultural land is permitted for buildings
for swiftlet production. The rest is for planting of
dragon fruits (v. popular), mushrooms, fishes, holiday
homes. Shophouses not encouraged. Licence is renewable
annually. Consultancy sells speakers (music to attract
birds to come into house and music to stay inside the
house). Players to play the music. Both must match. Can
fly >100 km per day. "Swiftlet farming can be done
anywhere in Malaysia," the consultant said. "The
environment must be suitable." 3 companies in Penang had
their export licence revoked as their processed birds'
nests were found to contain high nitrite levels.
Raw birds' nest. 3 types of bacteria checked by
veterinary authorities.
Approval for building is very complicated.
Many investment scams. Kulim scheme RM500,000/investor
share. Offers investors 80% of proceeds. Pumps to blow
up insects for the birds to eat. Kulim, KL and Malacca
firms raided for scams.
In my analysis, swiftlet farming is not a viable
investment unless the investor does his own farming
initially or has proper audit and financial controls as
evident in the apparent success in Ho Chih Min
joint-venture. |
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