By Karen Bong
KUCHING, May 15: The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) Sarawak has in 2023 recorded 15,570 kilogrammes of Raw Cleaned Edible Birdnest (RCEBN) with an export value of RM124.5 million.
Minister of Food Idustry, Commodity and Regional Development Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom revealed that Sarawak has exported top-quality nests from its edible-nest swiftlet ranching and continued to export Edible Birdnest (EBN).
“My Ministry recorded an increasing trend among farmers involved in Edible-nest swiftlet ranching.
“Given the high contribution of EBN to export earnings, my Ministry through DVS Sarawak continues the introduction of blockchain technology known as myWalet to register swiftlet premises for product traceability and quality assurance to meet the China import requirement,” he told the august House when delivering his ministerial winding up speech today.
Additionally, Dr Rundi informed to date, that a total of 2,163 premises including swiftlet house, processing plants, cave nest collection centres, service providers, traders, and exporters have been installed with Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID).
He also proposed for white-nest swiftlet, which nests in its own man-made houses, to be removed from the supervision of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) through the Wildlife Protection Ordinance and placed under the supervision of the DVS Sarawak as in Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah, while only black-nest Swiftlet nests from caves remain under the supervision of SFC.
“Due to the huge potential of the EBN industry, my Ministry will continue to work closely with relevant authorities to support the growth of the swiftlet industry in Sarawak; including registration and licensing,” he said. — DayakDaily
