Thanks to suitable environmental conditions and diverse food sources, people in the Mekong Delta have recently been promoting the practice of raising swiftlets in artificial nests. Due to the initial high returns, many places are rushing to build swiftlet houses, leading to numerous negative consequences regarding the environment, noise pollution, and the quality of the swiftlets.
The first swiftlet farming house was built decades ago in Dinh An town (Tra Cu district, Tra Vinh province). Photo: H. Tan
Swiftlet farming is increasing rapidly.
More than 15 years ago, the family of Ms. Tran Tu Hong, in An Binh ward (Rach Gia city, Kien Giang province), was one of the first households in the area to "dabble" in swiftlet farming. She recounted: "At that time, swiftlets were appearing in large numbers in Rach Gia city, so I started researching this species. Afterward, the family decided to move their newly built house, a two-story house originally intended for raising chickens, to a swiftlet farm. In the first two months, only two swiftlets came to live there, but then the flock gradually increased, and after about a year, we had nests to harvest…"
“The first time we sold just half a kilogram of raw bird's nest, we earned 20 million VND; compared to our family's traditional fish sauce making business, we would have to sell many barrels to earn that much. Because bird's nest farming was so profitable, our family expanded production. From 2016 to 2018, we averaged over 15 kg of raw bird's nest per harvest, bringing in around 300 million VND…”, Ms. Hong confided.
Seeing that many people were making high profits from swiftlet farming, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thai Binh, residing in Vinh Lac ward (Rach Gia city), followed suit. Ms. Binh stated: “Swiftlet farming is thriving, so my family converted part of our guesthouse and house into swiftlet farms. Once we had a substantial income, we invested in building new swiftlet houses in the outskirts of Rach Gia city, ensuring they meet standards for long-term development. To date, my family owns five swiftlet houses, providing a stable income and a comfortable life…” According to the Department of Livestock and Veterinary Medicine of Kien Giang province, from the initial swiftlet houses around 2003, the province now has nearly 3,000 swiftlet farms (the highest number in the country); the production in 2022 was approximately 17.5 tons, with raw bird's nests selling for 15-25 million VND/kg; cleaned and packaged bird's nests selling for 30-35 million VND/kg; generating 300-350 billion VND annually.
The swiftlet farming industry in Kien Giang province has become so successful, considered a "gift from heaven," that many other places have followed suit. Mr. Nguyen Van Ba, from Chau Phu district (An Giang province), shared: "More than five years ago, an acquaintance invited me to learn swiftlet farming techniques because the area has abundant food sources, so I followed suit. When I returned, I hired workers to expand my existing house and designed an area to attract swiftlets. After several years of farming, seeing that this profession was viable, I invested in two more swiftlet houses; each year I earn several hundred million dong." Along with Chau Phu district, many households in Thoai Son district, Long Xuyen city, Chau Doc city, etc., have also developed swiftlet farming; it is estimated that there are more than 1,200 swiftlet farms in An Giang province.
In the coastal district of Tra Cu, Tra Vinh province, many people also raise swiftlets. Mr. Trang Van Ngao, Chairman of the People's Committee of Dinh An town, said that more than 10 years ago, Mr. Ly Van Hanh's household was the first to raise swiftlets. On average, each harvest yields about 2kg of raw swiftlets, selling for tens of millions of dong. Based on this success, several other households also jumped into swiftlet farming…
Regarding the current situation, Mr. Ly Minh Hoang, from Rach Gia city, said: “After about 15-20 years of booming swiftlet farming in Kien Giang, this industry is now showing signs of ‘saturation’ and decline. Previously, there were fewer swiftlet houses, so the number of swiftlets was high, resulting in a large yield of nests and significant revenue. Now, there are too many swiftlet houses, while the swiftlet population cannot keep up with the rate of new construction; in addition, many swiftlet colonies are dying due to old age, natural disasters, storms, rampant hunting, environmental impact, and food shortages… so the decrease in the number of colonies is inevitable.” Previously, swiftlet houses harvested 3-4 times a year, but now it has decreased to about 2 times. Furthermore, the nests are smaller than before, and the number of nests has decreased by 30% or more compared to 2022. On the other hand, the price of raw swiftlet nests on the market has also decreased to 14-15 million VND/kg...
Bird's nest processing in Kien Giang province serves the consumption needs of various places. Photo: H. Tan
Difficult management
It is evident that swiftlet farming in the Mekong Delta has developed rapidly in recent years. However, this unplanned and undirected development, primarily driven by people adding extra floors to their existing homes for swiftlet farming in densely populated areas and urban centers, has revealed numerous negative consequences such as environmental pollution, disease outbreaks, and noise pollution affecting residents' lives and daily activities.
In response to this situation, the People's Councils of the Mekong Delta provinces have issued resolutions regulating swiftlet farming areas. Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung, Head of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department of Bac Lieu province, said that swiftlet farming in the province started in 2004 and developed rapidly, with more than 1,500 swiftlet farms currently operating. To strengthen the management of this industry, in 2022, the Bac Lieu Provincial People's Council issued a resolution on "Regulations on swiftlet farming areas in the province". The Provincial Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department, in coordination with the Inspectorate of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and other relevant units, regularly inspects swiftlet farms. Through this, they have detected and reminded many households violating regulations on using loudspeakers to attract swiftlets beyond permitted hours, causing noise pollution; and required the owners to commit to rectifying the situation. In addition, they have strengthened the management of new swiftlet house construction. Specifically, existing swiftlet houses must remain in their current state and are not allowed to be expanded; In the long term, there is a plan to relocate swiftlet farms out of urban areas and residential zones; new swiftlet farms should absolutely not be built in urban areas or densely populated areas…
In Can Tho City, Mr. Nguyen Van Su, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, acknowledged: "The raising of swiftlets in the past has been spontaneous; therefore, when the City People's Council issued a resolution stipulating areas where swiftlet farming is prohibited, management was strengthened. Furthermore, the Can Tho City agricultural sector does not recommend swiftlet farming, nor does it plan for its development, as it is not a local strength."
On March 10, 2021, the People's Council of Hau Giang province issued a Resolution stipulating areas where swiftlet farming is prohibited. Accordingly, all urban areas, residential areas, resettlement areas, residential clusters, and public works areas with approved detailed planning at a 1/500 scale and publicly announced plans throughout the province are prohibited from swiftlet farming. In addition, many other areas throughout the province are also prohibited from swiftlet farming, with specific road sections and areas designated. The Resolution stipulates that swiftlet farming areas outside the prohibited zones in Hau Giang province must be suitable for the swiftlets' natural behavior, compatible with the local socio-economic conditions, and not negatively impact the lives of residents in the farming area, while ensuring compliance with all regulations regarding farming conditions. This resolution applies to Vietnamese and foreign organizations and individuals involved in livestock farming activities in Hau Giang province.
According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Duc, Head of the Livestock and Veterinary Department of Kien Giang province, in August 2022, the Provincial People's Council issued a resolution related to swiftlet farming. However, in reality, authorities face many difficulties when conducting inspections because most of the swiftlet farmers are private individuals who often postpone inspections or are unwilling to allow strangers into their swiftlet houses for fear of affecting the swiftlet colony. Therefore, each inspection takes a lot of time and effort. Regarding noise pollution in residential areas, local authorities are responsible for checking, reminding, and handling violations. "The most feasible measure currently is to tighten management, prohibiting the development of new swiftlet farms and the expansion of existing ones in urban areas, residential areas, and places where swiftlet farming is prohibited according to the Provincial People's Council resolution…," Mr. Nguyen Thanh Duc said.
Currently, Vietnam is one of four countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand) approved by China for the official export of bird's nest products. However, the management of swiftlet farming still faces some shortcomings and inadequacies; the preliminary processing and processing of bird's nest products are mainly fragmented and small-scale, failing to meet the food safety requirements of importing countries. To urgently overcome these limitations and promote the official export of bird's nest products, the Prime Minister has requested relevant ministries, sectors, and the People's Committees of provinces and cities to focus on directing and decisively implementing solutions such as ending illegal swiftlet hunting, inspecting swiftlet farming facilities, registering codes according to regulations; applying information technology and digital transformation in farming, disease prevention, traceability, food safety, and meeting the requirements for bird's nest export…
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, after five years of negotiations, China has officially agreed to allow the import of Vietnamese bird's nests into its market through official channels, provided that 16 regulations are met, including requirements for packaging, labeling, quarantine, inspection, disease monitoring, and food safety. These are the contents of the Protocol signed at the end of 2022, considered the first step towards the official export of Vietnamese bird's nests to the promising Chinese market. According to Mr. Phung Duc Tien, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, specialized agencies are reviewing swiftlet farms that have registered with China and must have a registration number. The Department of Animal Health is guiding localities in establishing disease-free zones and standards according to regulations. |
H.TAN - H.THU
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