KUCHING: Bird’s nest farming is a lucrative business to consider venturing into in Sarawak as it is also an industry not affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bird’s nest farmer and consultant Steve Lau disclosed that there were only about 10,000 bird nest farms in the state.
He pointed out that these days, one do not need to go as far as staying in caves to harvest the edible bird’s nests as farmers today had opted to converting urban spaces or buildings in the cities into bird houses.
“This is because back in the days, there was this smart Indonesian who went into the caves to record the swiftlets’ sound and creating something similar in the bird houses to trick the birds in.
“That is how the industry flourished over the years without the need to go into actual caves to get the bird’s nests,” he told New Sarawak Tribune in an exclusive interview.
However, the 51-year-old noted that while the industry was a lucrative alternative, it was not easy for one to succeed in the business — not even with investments worth millions.
“To be successful in the industry, the bird house must have the right structure. Smooth enough for the birds to come in, solid enough not to be broken into (by thieves). It must replicate as close as possible a suitable and comfortable home for the birds.
“A lot of people spend millions of ringgit but after three to five years, the bird house is empty or has less than 20 to 30 nests. A big failure.
“You have to have the technique but while some achieved success in the business, not many would share their secrets in the carefully guarded industry.”
He also mentioned that a good bird house usually generated an average of about three kilogrammes of bird’s nests per month. One killogramme is valued at RM5,800 to RM6,000 depending on the market.
“There will always be demand, especially from China as the biggest importer of bird’s nests. This is because the Chinese sees the edible nests as an ‘elixir of youth’ and are used to make soup said to have medicinal qualities.
“Thus, even the small broken pieces of the nests are sent to Japan for cosmetic purposes.”
Lau has been in the industry since 2010 but has only begun getting the hang of it five years ago, by studying a lot of bird patterns and through experience.
