Sustainable development of bird's nest farming

In recent years, the bird's nest farming industry has developed strongly in the province. In particular, to increase the value, establishments in the province have also developed a variety of products from bird's nests. To develop the bird's nest farming industry sustainably, the province is focusing on removing difficulties from production to consumption.

HIGHLY PROFITABLE INDUSTRY

With high economic value, bird's nest is considered as "white gold". With favorable natural conditions, in recent times, the bird's nest farming industry has developed strongly in the province. Mr. Tran Quang Hung, owner of Hung Hau bird's nest facility (Dong Son commune) said: "Currently, my family has 4 bird's nest houses. On average, I collect about 20 kg of raw bird's nest per month. The facility also processes products from bird's nest such as: refined bird's nest, raw bird's nest, bird's nest water; in which, the refined bird's nest product has been certified with 3-star OCOP.

Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh visited and learned about production and business activities at Tri Son Trading and Service Company Limited, Dao Thanh ward.

Tri Son Trading and Service Company Limited (Dao Thanh Ward) is one of the leading enterprises in the province in the field of raising, processing and trading products from bird's nest. The company currently has nearly 50 products processed from bird's nest, of which 28 products are OCOP certified. At the same time, it has built a chain of bird's nest houses with veterinary quarantine for export with 327 houses.

Mr. Bui Bang Son, Director of Tri Son Trading and Service Co., Ltd. said: “Due to the competition between Vietnamese bird's nest and surrounding countries, we are focusing on promoting, improving the quality and diversifying products for domestic consumption first, then promoting exports. We diversify bird's nest products to create a more competitive segment. Currently, we are preparing to export bird's nest to Korea and have customers placing orders to export to Australia and Cambodia.”

According to the Department of Industry and Trade, on November 9, 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China and the General Administration of Customs of China officially approved Vietnam to export bird's nests to China through official channels. This event marked an important turning point, opening a big door for the Vietnamese bird's nest industry, including Dong Thap province.

China currently accounts for more than 80% of the total global demand for bird's nest, with a market size estimated at over 5 billion USD per year. Being allowed to export officially not only helps increase the value of the product, but also creates conditions for quality control, traceability and building the Vietnamese bird's nest brand in the international market. Currently, the potential for bird's nest consumption in the Chinese market is very large.

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Environment (DARD) of Dong Thap province, the whole province currently has about 2,380 bird nest farms, ranking 5th in the country. The average annual bird nest harvest is about 30 tons.

The rate of bird nest houses being exploited with a relative output is about 40%. Currently, more than 95% of bird nest output is consumed in raw form. The whole province has 35 processing facilities, with a variety of processed products.

Of these, 2 enterprises have been granted codes to export to the Chinese market, including: Tri Son Trading and Service Company Limited; Tan Dong Agricultural Products Company Limited. The management of new birdhouse construction has gradually become routine. Birdhouse farming has become a highly profitable economic sector, contributing to increasing income and creating jobs for thousands of local workers.

FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Besides the advantages, according to the facilities that raise and process products from bird's nests, the bird's nest farming industry in our country also faces fierce competition from countries in the region. In particular, the decline in output is one of the biggest difficulties that bird's nest farmers are facing.

According to the Department of Industry and Trade, most of the bird nest farms in Dong Thap province still operate on a small scale, lacking value chain linkages. Currently, only about 15% of the province's bird nest output is processed through factories that meet food safety standards.

The products are mainly consumed domestically or exported through unofficial channels to China and some Southeast Asian markets. The export value is still modest because it does not fully meet the technical requirements, traceability and quarantine certification of the Chinese side...

To sustainably develop the bird's nest farming industry, according to the Department of Industry and Trade, establishments and businesses need to improve product quality and meet international standards. One of the important solutions is to organize production and manage bird's nests according to the value chain; perfect the system of planning bird's nest farming areas, managing bird's nest farming facilities and tracing the origin of products. At the same time, ensure disease safety and product safety; build a strict quality control system from harvesting to packaging.

Businesses and establishments in the province develop a variety of products from bird's nests.

Enterprises need to proactively produce according to international standards such as HACCP, ISO, organic certification to increase customer confidence. At the same time, invest in closed production lines, apply advanced science and technology; update market information, improve new production technology to compete effectively, and meet consumer tastes.

One of the tasks that need to be done is to build a brand, promote and maintain product reputation. Facilities need to focus on participating in food fairs and agricultural exhibitions in China to introduce products. At the same time, cooperate with reputable distributors and agents in China to bring products into supermarket systems, high-end stores, etc.

Recently, at the scientific workshop on bird's nest farming and official export of bird's nests to the Chinese market organized by Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade in collaboration with the Department of Industry and Trade of Dong Thap province, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dong Thap province and Tri Son Trading and Service Co., Ltd., many solutions for sustainable development of bird's nest farming were proposed.

Accordingly, to develop sustainably and increase the export value of bird's nest, the solutions proposed by the workshop include: Completing the legal framework and state management; applying science and technology in farming and processing; developing the market and promoting trade; improving the capacity of businesses and farmers... In which, the key solution is to build a specialized legal framework for the bird's nest industry.

The development of bird's nest farming needs to be linked to the conservation of natural bird's nests and ecosystems. The State needs to control hunting, build conservation areas in localities with high density and link it with the protection of biodiversity...

T. DAT

Source: https://baodongthap.vn/kinh-te/202511/phat-trien-ben-vung-nghe-nuoi-chim-yen-1051499/