MUKAH: Malaysia and China are in the final stage of negotiations to lift the ban on the export of raw walet bird’s nests to China.
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said his ministry had signed an agreement protocol to resolve the issue, which allowed the Veterinary Services Department to evaluate the bird’s nests to ensure that they met the standards.
“We must follow the standard operating procedures and ensure that the bird’s nests meet the requirements in order to export to China.
“We are in the final stage of negotiations and expect a positive result within a few months.” he said after visiting a swiftlet farm here recently.
Shabery said the move to lift the ban would not affect processed or ready-to-eat bird’s nests because of the high demand from China.
Malaysia exports about 60 tonnes of processed walet bird’s nests each year.
“We (the government) believe the industry can be a new source of wealth which will contribute to economic growth. Thus, we need to further develop the industry.
“I would like to call upon industry players to produce quality bird’s nests,” said Shabery.