KUALA LUMPUR: Only two of 41 licensed Malaysian companies involved in bird's nest exports approved by the General Administration of Customs of the People's Republic of China (GACC) are producing their own ready-to-eat items, the Dewan Negara was told today.
Deputy Agriculture and Food Industry Minister II Dr Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh said of the total, three of them were registered as raw-cleaned bird's nest producers and 36 others for raw-uncleaned bird's nest.
"Ready-to-eat products have the potential to contribute a higher income. However, most companies opt for the raw-uncleaned bird's nest, which yields faster revenue upon harvest," he said in reply to a question from Senator Datuk Wira Koh Nai Kwong.
Zawawi said China was the biggest bird's nest importer, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan and Australia.
He said Malaysia had in 2018 exported 96.5 metric tonnes of bird's nests worth RM283 million.
All applications to export the products must go through the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) to ensure producers fulfilled requirements set by GACC.
"Approvals to export the products require registration of processing plants and Veterinary Health Mark (VHM) issued by the department.
"Before exporting, the companies must first obtain a Veterinary Health Certificate from DVS and export permit from the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department (Maqis)."