Malaysia, China to ink bird nest draft protocol

MUAR : Malaysia will sign the draft protocol on bird nest entry into China soon to resume export of the luxury item to the country which has been halted several months ago. The Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry, Datuk Seri Noh Omar said the three main conditions for the resumption of bird nest export to China had been agreed upon in the latest negotiation between the two countries. He said among the conditions were that Malaysian bird nest exporters must have the Radio Frequency Identification certificate issued by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to detect the locations of problematic bird nest using radio wave frequency. Two more conditions, he said were the Veterinary Department's certificate of health and the Ministry of Health's health certificate. "The measures are to ensure bird nest products for export to China are not only from healthy birds but the product is also safe for consumption," he said when opening the Bakri Parliamentary Constituency Farmers' Organisation annual general meeting at Maktab Rendah Sains MARA, Bakri, Muar here yesterday. At the event, he also witnessed the signing of a bird nest purchasing agreement between syarikat Duta Sialin Biotechnology Sdn Bhd and eight farmers' organisations from all over the country. The farmers' organisations are from Pagoh, Johor; Tanjung Karang, Selangor; south Manjung, Perak; Bandar Baharu, Kedah; Gua Musang, Kelantan; Terengganu and Sabah. He said the halt in the entry of Malaysian bird nest into China resulted in many operators facing problems. "The market price of bird nest plunged from RM4,000 to RM5,000 to only RM1,500 per kilogramme. Many faced problems in servicing their bank loans," he said. Elaborating further on the new conditions, Noh Omar said only products which met the conditions would be permitted to use the 'Malaysia Best ' logo for the product to be exported.