Bird's nest flocks in many provinces and cities have decreased by 20%-40%, in some places over 50%

Due to the effects of climate change such as prolonged drought, hunting of swiftlets (for release)... the swiftlet population in localities has decreased significantly, on average from 20%-40%, in some places up to 50%.

Speaking at the meeting to deploy the upcoming plan and exchange with businesses and organizations related to the bird's nest industry in Ho Chi Minh City, Mr. Le Thanh Dai, Chairman of the Vietnam Bird's Nest Association (VSFA) said that due to the impact of climate change such as prolonged drought, hunting of swiftlets (for release)..., the bird's nest population in localities has decreased significantly, on average from 20% -40%, in some places up to 50% such as Go Cong Dong (Tien Giang), Can Gio district (Ho Chi Minh City)... In general, the bird's nest house area along coastal provinces has decreased significantly.

Meanwhile, the domestic market for bird's nest and bird's nest products is difficult to determine the quality of the products. Bird's nests from countries in the region are of unknown origin, low quality, easily imported, mixed with domestic bird's nests, and are confirmed to be of high quality to sell at high prices.

Meanwhile, the confusion and slow announcement of planning areas for bird nest farming by localities have caused many difficulties in developing the potential of the bird nest industry. The Vietnam Bird Nest Association (VSFA) recommends that investors and local people should not rush to build new bird nest houses in the current context, as this will lead to many risks.

According to Mr. Le Thanh Dai, since the end of 2023, 9 enterprises have been granted export codes by the General Administration of Customs of China to export processed bird's nests or processed bird's nest products to China. However, the approval process is complicated, taking a lot of time and effort to be certified.

VSFA signed cooperation agreements with brand promotion units

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Dung, Vice President of the Vietnam Farm and Agricultural Enterprise Association (VFAEA), said that in order for the Vietnamese bird's nest industry to develop fundamentally and stably, there needs to be a research topic on the development of the domestic bird's nest industry, especially in the southern provinces and cities, including the Central Highlands. Preventing the hunting of bird's nests requires the role of local authorities (communes, wards), with sanctions... The import of bird's nests from countries in the region also needs to be strictly managed, according to specific standards, avoiding loose management, affecting the quality and market of domestic bird's nests.

The association, connection, and mutual support between VFAEA and VSFA will help the domestic bird's nest industry have the conditions to develop sustainably and effectively, as well as coordinate with each other in providing technical support for building new bird's nest houses without waste.

Currently, VSFA has 247 members, of which 50 are organizational members and the rest are individual members. In the coming time, VSFA will develop a model of bird's nest associations in provinces and cities; decentralize tasks and increase the autonomy of branches. The main tasks of VSFA are to orient and develop the market, build and protect brands... as well as perfect and build specialized committees to meet the needs of members.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, there are currently 42 provinces with over 22,000 bird nest houses, concentrated in the Mekong Delta, Southeast, Central Highlands, Central Coast and some northern provinces. Vietnam's bird nest output is about 150 tons, worth over 600 million USD. China is the largest bird nest consumer market (accounting for 80% of the global market share), about 300 tons/year.

The quality of Vietnamese bird's nest products is favored by Chinese customers and is considered superior to that of other countries in the region, so it is popular. 45 enterprises have registered to export bird's nest to China, and have been instructed by the Department of Animal Health to conduct disease safety and food safety monitoring according to China's requirements. Of which, 9 bird's nest production enterprises have been granted export codes by the General Administration of Customs of China.

PUBLIC SESSION

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dan-yen-nhieu-tinh-thanh-giam-20-40-co-noi-tren-50-post735486.html