The Star Online – Jul 16 4:41 PM
By SIMON KHOO
PEKAN: The Pekan Farmers Corporation will be the first organisation in the district to venture into commercial swift bird’s nest farming.
If successful, the industry is expected to fetch a market price of at RM5,000 a kg for the commodity.
State Health, Social Welfare and Orang Asli Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Ishak Muhammad said the pioneer project would be carried out via a special grant of RM350,000.
He said if the project was found viable, it would be introduced in other states nationwide.
“Farmers Organisation Authority will provide RM250,000 while the remaining RM100,000 would come from the corporation.
“The project is expected to take off by the end of this year,” he said after opening the 28th annual general meeting of the corporation here on Thursday.
Also present was the corporation’s general manager Nor Fadzli Hasan.
Ishak said the project would take at least 18 months to see results.
“We hope to get 5kg of bird’s nest in the first harvest and gradually increase it to 200kg a year over the next five years,” he said.
Ishak said the swift bird’s nest could be harvested thrice a year and the projected profit was RM75,000 in the first year.
“Over the next five years, it may hit RM1mil,” he said.
He said that Pekan was selected for the pioneer project as the bird species was found in abundance there.
