By Karen Bong
KUCHING, Nov 28: Sarawak exported 11,980kg of top quality raw cleaned edible bird nest (EBN) to China, Singapore and Hong Kong valued at RM137.8 million as of Oct 31.
Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom emphasised that in recent years, there is an increasing trend among farmers involved in swiftlet houses.
In view of the high contribution of edible bird nest to export earnings, he said the Ministry through Department of Veterinary Sarawak (DVS) has introduced a blockchain technology known as “mywalet” to register swiftlet premises for product traceability and quality assurance purposes.
“To date, a total of 2,145 premises including bird house, processing plants, cave nest collection centres, service providers, traders and exporters had been installed with Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID),” he said when delivering his winding up speech for the ministry at Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) Sitting today.
To tap the huge potential of EBN industry, Dr Rundi said the ministry will continue to work closely with relevant authorities to facilitate the growth of the swiflet industry. — DayakDaily
