Cambodia and China are expediting formal procedures to export edible bird’s nests from the former, ready with supply capacity, to the latter.

According to the Director General of the General Department of Agriculture H.E. Ngin Chhay, the negotiations between the two countries have reached the final stage, where a technical protocol will soon be signed and a team of Chinese experts will conduct inspections of bird’s nest houses and packaging locations for quality assurance.

In a recent media interview, the president of the Khmer Swiftlet Association Mr. Suy Kokthean revealed that his association had already signed a memorandum of understanding with the customs office of China’s Guangxi province.

Once formal export procedures are in force, he said, Cambodia will start with supplying needed bird’s nests to the province.

Though Cambodia has yet to have official exports of its edible bird’s nests to international markets, the business is lucrative for both domestic demand and informal exports.

Mr. Suy Kokthea
n added that the business is noticeably expanding with bird’s nest houses established in almost all provinces across the country, making it capable of supplying around 100 tonnes of the bird’s nest a year.

The market price for unprocessed high-quality bird’s nests is between US$400 and US$450 per kilogramme, and it is between US$1,200 and US$1,500 for the processed ones of the same weight.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse