bird nest cambodia

Nang Sothy, president of the Cambodia Bird’s Nest Federation

Sothy said Cambodia exports the raw edible bird’s nest, made from the saliva of Asian Swiftlet birds, for about $800 per kilogram to Vietnam and Thailand where it is then processed and sent to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea. price for processed bird’s nest at $2,000

Ms. Chorda said her shop sells the nests for between $140 and $250 per 100 grams. In Cambodia, the nests are typically soaked in water for several hours before being stewed with rock sugar. The gelatinous mixture is then poured over ice and drunk out of a glass.

Cambodian Bird’s Nest Federation (CBNF)

But while swiftlet nests used to be collected in the wild, they are now generally farmed in multistory concrete structures dotted with tiny entryways. Birdsong is piped through speakers and artificial scents are sprayed throughout the building to attract the swiftlets and make them feel at home.

Mr. Sothy said once the CBNF gets off the ground, he expects the estimated 1,500 Cambodian nest farmers to export $50 million worth of nests to China annually. Currently, he said, the farmers collect about 1 ton of nests per month, selling for an average of $800 per kg.

“We can’t meet the domestic demand, so how can we export?” said Peter Chen, the owner of the shop that Ms. Chorda manages and a business partner of Mr. Kong Hav. The pair owns seven nest farms in Kampot province, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh that, on a good month, together produce more than 50 kg of nests.

Ourn Seansonal, the owner of the Swiftlet Farm Consultancy, which manages two swiftlet farms and works with interested farmers to develop their own birdhouses

Mr. Seansonal said he studied construction of swiftlet farms for three years in Malaysia. The process, he said, is not as simple as building a concrete box with holes in it.

First, significant capital is required. The cost of building the simplest swiftlet farm is $100,000, he said. On top of that, another $20,000 is needed for equipment including speakers, humidifiers and observation cameras.

Farmers also need to understand swiftlet behavior in order to attract local populations to nest in the farms.

“The birds are like humans,” he said. “If I live in Phnom Penh and another person lives in Battambang, maybe we have a little different characteristics.”

Mr. Seansonal, whose farms in Sihanoukville and Kampot produce 4 to 5 kg of nests per month, also said that Cambodia’s nest industry is not nearly as big as Mr. Sothy and Mr. Kong Hav claim. He estimates there are between 500 and 700 farms in the country, producing up to 150 kg monthly.