The export of salanganes nests, one of key exports of Quang Nam Province’s Hoi An Town, is facing many difficulties in due to bad impacts of the global economic downturn.
A salanganes nest restaurant closed due to slow sales
For many years, salanganes nest exports have brought Hoi An tens of billions of VND annually, but this year, exports have gone way down. Traders of the product are sitting on high inventories of more than 600 kilogrammes totalling VND70 billion (USD3.3 million).
The biggest markets for salanganes nests are Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan and China; however, economic difficulties have forced these countries to tighten their spending. This has particularly affected high priced products.
An official from Hoi An said salanganes nests are often partially processed and then exported to markets to create high-valued products. Many years ago, the supply of salanganes nests was insufficient to meet demand.
According to Truong Van Bay, Vice Chairman of Hoi An Town People’s Committee, importers said that due to slow consumption they do not import more salanganes nests.
Recently, China has tightened control over the import and consumption of sea-originated products. The country has even issued regulation on banning officials from using luxury products.
Hoi An will install vacuum packing machines to preserve the nests.
Mr. Bay proposed discounts based on order quantify and increasing domestic sales to deal with the inventory.
Salanganes nests can be made into a kind of porridge sold at VND180,000 (USD8.57) per bowl, which can be found in many tourist restaurants in the town, but the high price puts many off.
Traders of the product are sitting on high inventories of more than 600 kilogrammes totalling VND70 billion
