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  Lucrative bird’s nest industry taking flight within Kingdom

 

Publication date 11 September 2018 | 09:06 ICT Phnom Penh Post.

 

rContent image - Phnom Penh Post

They may look like abandoned concrete buildings from the outside, but facilities for the production of bird’s nests have been materialising in growing numbers along the Kingdom’s coast.

The four- or five-storey structures often sit at the foot of mountains in seaside provinces of Koh Kong, Kampot and Preah Sihanouk. Bird songs are even piped in with speakers to attract more swallows.

As the value of bird’s nests has increased, more than 100 of these swallow homes have been built this year, said Cambodia Bird’s Nest Federation (CBNF) president Nang Sothy.

Until now, domestic production of bird nests did not have an official export market as vendors bought the stock and sold it around Asia.

Sothy said after a long period of silence, swallow-raising started seeing an increase since the beginning of last year. He cited the rising price as the cause for the recent surge in Cambodia.

Unclean nuggets sold last year, he said, could fetch between $600 and $650 per kg. But now, it can reach between $850 and $1,100 per kg. Cleaned bird’s nests, which could be sold for $1,500 last year, can now be sold for as much as $3,000.

“Market demand and price increases have led to more than 100 swallow houses being built across the country this year,” he said.

While there is no specific data on the number of swallow houses in the country, Sothy said it could be anywhere from 800 to 1,500. He said most were run by smallholders and were located in Preah Sihanouk, Koh Kong, Kep and Kampot province.

Bird’s nests have always commanded high demand in China, where people buy them for use in skincare, anti-cancer regiments and as a treatment for impotence.

According to Sothy, the Kingdom could harvest at least 800-1,500kg of bird’s nest a month and around 70 per cent could be exported after fulfilling domestic demand.

Despite having a bird’s nest federation that was established in 2014, exports have been facilitated unofficially through private traders.

Buth Rathany, who owns the 389 Bird’s Nest shop in the capital, said sales this year had nearly doubled compared to last.

“I have observed that many Cambodians now enjoy having products made from bird’s nests,” she said.

A swallow raiser in Kampot province who asked not to be named said she is also benefitting from the price increase. She could sell nests for around $1,800 per kg, whereas last year a kg went for around $1,500.

Hean Vanhan, director-general of the General Department of Agriculture at the Ministry of Agriculture said the ministry does not have any details about the bird’s nest market.

“Recently, we launched the market for exporting bananas to China, so there will be markets for other products opening up in the future,” he said.

The Post previously reported that data from 2016 showed that the global bird’s nest industry was estimated to have a value of $5 billion annually. China is the largest consumer while Indonesia and Malaysia are leading suppliers.

https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/lucrative-birds-nest-industry-taking-flight-within-kingdom

 

I think sometime ago I may have wrote about this subject. I remember when the price for the nests where on the good side then they did drop to half the price and less. Now if the price is rising once again I can see the need for the new builds in this market.

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This is the hotel opposite the bar, top floor is a bird house. Behind in the photo is two more being built. On thing is the birds feed off the wing, so they feed in flight, insects are their diet, it's a certainty there will be less mosquito's around.

One of the reasons I don't open early is the tweeting from 5.30am to 5.30pm, not the birds, the machine that makes the bird sounds, but I think at higher (unnecessary) decibels to attract the birds to nest on their migration down the coast. But alas no health and safety or noise control in this part of the world. Some of my customer's and neighbour's like the relaxing sound.

20180912_152758.thumb.jpg.5db88d57e9833f3690126c2cf95fa18b.jpg

This building was stopped at it's 3rd floor before, due to possible collapse (apparently according to the locals). Originally it was built up from the first floor, that was a old night club and only had need for foundations for the single story. I can see why the concerns of the people living around the now 5 floors. 

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John_Galt

Learn something new every day. I mean apparently you can sell birds nests unclean for $600 per kilo

Just a few weeks ago I learned about banana Ketchup... Something that 100+ million people already knew about. 

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dicey eye
1 hour ago, andy said:

I can see why the concerns of the people living around the now 5 floors. 

Where is this Cambodian equivalent to the Leaning Tower of Pisa located?

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andy
6 minutes ago, John_Galt said:

Just a few weeks ago I learned about banana Ketchup...

 

Banana Ketchup, tell me more? Although I have a dislike for Ketchup Sauce, only time I have it, is on the very rare occasion at burger chains. 

Just now, dicey eye said:

Where is this Cambodian equivalent to the Leaning Tower of Pisa located?

 

To the left of the bar! But well out of range of falling on it.

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John_Galt
2 minutes ago, andy said:

Banana Ketchup, tell me more? Although I have a dislike for Ketchup Sauce, only time I have it, is on the very rare occasion at burger chains. 


It is ketchup made from the bananas apparently it is very popular in the Philippines. Crazy world lol. 

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Parrothead
7 hours ago, John_Galt said:

It is ketchup made from the bananas apparently it is very popular in the Philippines. Crazy world lol. 

 

Yes, banana ketchup is very popular in the Philippines. I don't really care for it, though.

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andy
13 hours ago, Parrothead said:

 

Yes, banana ketchup is very popular in the Philippines. I don't really care for it, though.

 

But! Do you like birds nest soup? Or the birds nest drink sold here in cans?

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dicey eye
2 hours ago, andy said:

But! Do you like birds nest soup? Or the birds nest drink sold here in cans?

Never fancied trying that stuff. Its rather high priced, true? My proletariat roots wouldn't allow me to purchase elitists products like those mentioned.

Many of those swallow nesting structures in SHV and Kampot. When I asked the locals why the high price, they all said the Chinese believe it to be a aphoristic - Expensive cost for boners. 

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Parrothead
9 hours ago, andy said:

But! Do you like birds nest soup? Or the birds nest drink sold here in cans?

 

Don't want to try either.

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andy
7 hours ago, dicey eye said:

Many of those swallow nesting structures in SHV and Kampot. When I asked the locals why the high price, they all said the Chinese believe it to be a aphoristic - Expensive cost for boners. 

 

Yes, those people have some belief's, that to the point could be a strain on the wild life. Wonder what they think of westerners with their Viagra fix.

I think I had the soup many years ago, and it was a little bland. The drink had a few times, but had it bought for me from Khmer friends. And yes it's expensive.  

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