1kg bird’s nest limit for tourists

 Tuesday January 17, 2012
PETALING JAYA: Tourists to Malaysia are now only allowed to take home a maximum 1kg of bird's nest.
“This is to ensure that no smuggling of this expensive commodity takes place,” Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar.
He also announced that local companies would require three certificates to export edible bird's nest products to China.
The certificates are from the Veterinary Services Department, the Health Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Precious commodity: Noh (third from right) listening to assistant chemist Cassie Lee’s briefing on the commodity during a visit to PT Swift Marketing in Puchong yesterday. — Bernama

“After a company receives all three certificates, it will be allowed to use the 1Malaysia Best' logo and can export to China,'' Noh told reporters after launching the first authentic edible bird's nest trade and depository centre by PT Swift Marketing Sdn Bhd in Puchong yesterday.
He said the Government would not be held responsible for products without the “1Malaysia Best” logo.
Noh said previously only a Veterinary Services Department certificate was needed but due to the decline in quality, additional requirements had been added.
He added that only eight companies had acquired the certificates so far.
Noh said the new rules were necessary because of concerns expressed by the Chinese government on excessive nitrite in bird's nests from Malaysia.
“The two governments are discussing to determine the acceptable nitrite content.
“It is impossible to get bird's nest with zero nitrite content but we hope to announce the figure soon,” he said.

source :

Swiftlet Nest Exporters Must Obtain Three Quality Certifications To Enter China Market

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- Starting this year, local companies exporting swiftlet nests to China are required to obtain three quality certifications before their products can be allowed to enter the republic, according to Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar.

He said the quality certifications were the Veterinary Health Mark (VHM) certificate issued by the Veterinary Department, the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) certificate issued by the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the health certificate issued by the Health Ministry.

The three certifications are aimed at ensuring the quality of the Malaysian swiftlet nests would meet the standards set by the Chinese government, he told reporters after opening Malaysia's first Authentic Bird's Nest Depository and Trade Centre in Puchong near here today.

"These quality certifications must be adhered to in order to meet the strict requirements set by the Chinese government after they agreed to accept swiftlet nests from Malaysia last year.

"However, the Chinese government has also required that only bird's nests with zero part per million (ppm) of nitrite are allowed to be exported to the republic," he said.

Noh said it was very difficult to obtain swiftlet nests with zero nitrite level, but the ministry was hoping that the Health Ministry could set a minimum and acceptable nitrite level for the issuance of the certification purposes.

The minister said the company which obtained the three quality certifications would be allowed to use the "1Malaysia Best" brand on their swiftlet nest products, but they also had to identify a strategic partner in China to ease the trade and monitoring process.

"Their partners in China will also be required to promote swiftlet nest products bearing the brand of '1Malaysia Best' as the ones having the best quality and safe for consumption," he said.

Meanwhile, Health Ministry Food Safety and Quality Control Division senior director Dr Noraini Mohd Othman said the swiftlet nest products containing high level of nitrate could pose a threat to human health and could also cause cancer.

"We will announce the acceptable level of nitrate in swiftlet nests after the ongoing discussion between our experts and their counterparts in China is concluded,"

-- BERNAMA

Ban on M'sian imports badly affecting demand for white bird’s nest in China

Jack Wong (The Star), The Asia News Network, Kuching, Malaysia | Fri, 12/30/2011 10:50 AM

A | A | A |

Unprocessed white bird's nest prices have fallen further as demand for Malaysia's bird's nest products has been badly affected after China banned their imports about five months ago.
“The average price has dropped to around 3,000 ringgit (US$945) per kilo as compared with 4,500 ringgit ($1,400) before the ban,” said Sarawak Bird's Nest Suppliers Association secretary Colin Wong Chung Onn.
China imposed an import ban in July after nitrate was found in Malaysian bird's nests.
Wong said although there was demand, most swiftlet breeders were in no hurry to sell at the current depressed prices.
“Unprocessed bird's nests can be stored without going bad for about a year with good control of humidity and temperature,” he told The Star on Thursday.
He said the prices were likely to recover if China lifted the ban soon as stocks of bird's nest products in the mainland were expected to drop to a low level with increased consumption of the delicacy during the Lunar New Year.
Locally, bird's nests are packed in gift hampers to be given away during festive seasons.
Agriculture and Agro-based Minister Noh Omar was reported to have said last month that a committee set up by Malaysia and China to determine the permissible level of nitrate in bird's nest products was expected to resolve the issue before the Chinese New Year.
The committee was formed following a meeting between Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai and his Chinese counterpart Chen Zhu in Beijing. Its members include food specialists and experts.
Liow had said that China would lift the ban after determining the allowed level of nitrate.
China is Malaysia's biggest importer of bird's nest products, valued at about 1 billion ringgit annually.
Wong said Chinese officials and experts were expected to visit Malaysia soon to see how bird's nests were processed.
Asked about the mushrooming of new swiftlet houses, mostly in the central region, Wong said the association did not have the latest figures as most of the new operators had not joined as its members.
Sarawak's first swiftlet eco-park in Balingian, Mukah, which will have 40 units of three-storey buildings and 15 units of three-storey bungalows, is expected to be ready next year.
The 40 million ringgit eco-park is a joint-venture between state Economic Development Corporation and peninsula-based Borneo Resources Synergy Sdn Bhd.
source :