Each kilo of birds nest worth USD1,500 to USD2,000
According to the Department of Livestock Production, Vietnam produced 68 tonnes of edible birds nest in 2017. Each kilo of birds nest worth USD1,500 to USD2,000. This has proved to be a profitable business as the bird's nest export turnover is about USD100m to USD125m a year.
Nguyen Van Trong, deputy head of the Department of Livestock Production, said the bird's nest farming and trading started in 2004 from southern provinces. As of now, 8,304 households in 42 out of 63 cities and provinces in Vietnam are breeding swift for bird's nests. The Mekong Delta has the most number of bird's nest farmers, followed by the Southeast Region and the central coast. Bird's nest farming became the main business on several islands in Khanh Hoa and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces.
However, there are still many shortcomings as most of the farms are small-scaled and lack proper management systems. Vietnamese farmers don't have comprehensive production programmes or brand building. Vietnamese bird's nests are mostly sold via border trade and the values are low.
In some areas, farmers breed swift for bird nests en mass without understanding their habits and needs. As a result, they have suffered a huge loss.
Do Tu Quan, head of Vietnam Bird Nest Association, said maintaining a high number of swift in the wild and their food source was a key factor for success. If the spontaneous swift breeding and bird nest farming is not controlled quickly, it will cause losses for the farmers and badly affect the bird nest industry.
In order to avoid overcharging from traders, farmers should improve their product quality and work with the authorities to find solutions to make bird nest farming more productive and effective.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said they were completing a decree guiding farmers on how to follow the law on Animal Husbandry including directives on how to breed and raise swifts. The decree will address various problems such as business registration. Facilities that were not required for business registration with the authorised agencies would have to register with communal authorities.
Locations must be suitable for the swift and local socio-economic development plan. The farmers must follow procedures such as required distance from the farm to the residential area and public buildings like schools and hospitals.
Existing facilities that do not meet requirements will have to be relocated.
The ministry will propose to revise Decree 199 issued in 2013 about administrative fines to violations in swift breeding and farming. For example, those who use residential houses to lure and raise swift will be fined. There will also be support policies for technology development and to help relocate farms out of inner city areas.