Are you sure that there are no more unprocessed nests in China if the Chinese put a total ban on the import of nests into China but I certainly douth so.

If the ban is for Malaysian nests, then why and if total ban, then how come there are still unprocessed nests selling in China and China does not have our type of nests but those feathered type which you pick up birdnest instead of feathers here. 90% feathers and 10% nests at the most.

Talking about grading, do you know that there are basically no buyers for corner nests as they have pushed the price of half cup so low that even the round ones are facing difficulties to sell. Corner ones, they dare not even quote you for fear that you will give them a nasty kick at their Ball for doing so.

Formally, AB meaning half cups/round cups or Half cups big and average size but now AB mean big white super plus big cup white only............they can be choosy as there aren't many buyers and many sellers are desperate wanting to sell.....willing to sell at buyer's price and also will choose good quality nests and forgo dirty and coloured ones. Like this, all owners will sooner or later becoming murderers of swiftlets in order to give buyers their request for white less feather nest.

Having said so, building big processing plants here are very good provided that the authorities allow competition and not monopoly in processing. Requiring so many approval that only the selected ones wil get the approval to process and with that, the power to control the price of EBN. As I did mentioned ones here, the owners make pennies but the middlemen make pounds....just like the farmers.

Dear TF,

Agreed that there are tons of unprocessed EBN in China and even after months and years, there still be tons as the smuggled EBNs are still going on "under the blanket" so to say. And, we honest people shall be the losers as we are forced to sell low and the middlemen smuggle the EBN into China and there shall be unending supply of unprocessed EBN with the exception of Malaysian EBN selling directly to China..........where else, the rest of the world are doing the buz "under the blanket".

Even thought that I am a seller of EBN but I will too buy unprocessed dirty nests for RM500/kg and allow me to tell here that those so called big dirty nests are better than the small white nests as these nests don't melt easily while cooking unlike fresh white nests that will become liquid after awhile.

My friends in China once asked me why that their white nests suddenly disappear during cooking and I told them that not all the cases are fake nests but most probable could be young white nests which cannot stand the heating for too long. And these new white nests don't taste as good as old brown nests. Better keep the old nests and eat them yourself for health reason........these nests are the best, and remember, I never lie.

I wish to advice readers that do not have Birdhouse and want to buy nests for own consumption, do buy original brown nests as you can really taste the true aroma and pleasure of eating birdnests. Believe me and try out the original brown nests and infact the older the better and you shall experience the aroma of natural birdnest ( aroma of egg white) like you never before and will like it once you try it out. I only clean brownish nests to sell to friends and never the white ones which I sell to the buyers because many who take birdnests never understand that being white is inferior and not superior in quality. I dream of the day that the people will pay better price for brown nests instead of pure white which may even being bleached.

We always read that Malaysia is one of the only 2 of the South East Asia countries allowed to export EBN to China and the the other one is Singapore which isn't producing EBN at all so all the nests in China must be of ours or Singapore which isn't producing EBN. We must be very fortunate and should make billions even only handling EBN from neighbouring countries. But how come that we didn't get rich and worst, we are now helpless. Make me also wonder that only less than 20% nests in China were ours and so 80% must be smuggled into China and why when problem occurred, it was Malaysian Nests!!!!!!!!

Even before the bad incident, we should be very well off cos if someone did give me such monopoly to export to China, I should be a billionaire in less than a year.

I have been thinking and thinking but stupid me...still can't see why???????

Continue my story, the problem now maybe that the Godfathers of the the trade are telling we Malaysian to toe the line and that EBN Buz was their and will be their's for years to come.

They are not going to let a small country like Malaysia to spoil their Billions dollars trade just because we have the exclusive right.... the Govt. Depts won't either cos their main income will disappear with legalized nests.

So, even our govt. didn't really do much to help us and before we all go bankrupt, let us all allow the old way to remain and maybe, the price will go up due to the sympathy and token given by the big brothers. Their connection with the govt. departments are above us and we think that Malaysian Depts. are the only C govt. in the world. Infact, the whole world, countries are all Cs except in % only obviously with the lesson learn from chinese who invented the C.......and I am sure that Singapore will never take credit for this as they did with even Bak Kut Tea.... and Low San.

The Big guys allow us to process the nest for export as these aren't their cup of tea; the Big Brothers are only interested in unprocessed nest esp. big Super white nests which may fetch as high as RM30K in China so we shall let the old way be; no nest shall be exported to China legally.

Again, "Li tai So kon ku" only and in English is Lee talk Cock!!!

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Added on March 3, 2012, 12:21 pmJust a joke, never build one at Angkor Wat even if you are sure of 100% success cos the Cambodia General want 50% and the Thailand General take the other 50%; in the end, you get 100% SHIT!

This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 3 2012, 12:21 PM

Before Chinese import their nests; 80% Indo and only 10% Malaysian but after the incident, Chinese don't take nests like they do before and the sales drop at least 40% and so before the Indo will buy our nests to make the 100% sales but now, the Indo has more than enough nests by themselves.

We need to out source for buyers as without the Indo Buyers here, we need to personally venture to look for oversea market esp. China (Under water if needed) or else, we must make an effort ot have birdnests for BF, Lunch and dinner and talking about it bring me to the time that my wife make agar agar birdnest for tea!! Never do it cos's it's taste bad!!!!

If I am not mistaken, all swiftlets Associations are NGO as they are certainly not apolitical. It's all depend on whether the controlling members are of which parties and that may create difficulties of getting help from the respective government ministers.

As for the EBN market, the main is China and will be for at least for a hundred years but since the Indo is the biggest EBN suppliers for China and Malaysia is still in the learning stage so we all depend on Indo and since the market drop for at least 40% and now, Indo does have enough nests to supply China's market.

Previously, the very rich in China take the super large nests but these are the area now most affected and these are our nests region and so, only if you sell low, then there are buyers and very choosy, too.

My believe that we can't just wait to die but rather try hard to find or create a new market even in Malaysia but especially Singaporean cos they do have the ability to eat EBN. Rather than to allow buyers to force sell, we sell to local raayat so that they can experiance birdnests at the lowest possible price and you still haven't create a opportunity for buyers to force price down further.

We have created buyers out of Chinese working here buying a few Kilo each time they return home but these "Cari Makan" also being disable by the authorities and maybe, there are spies around.

Better sell lower for local consumption then to allow buyers to get the better of you and in the same time, we created a new group of birdnest lovers which will continue to buy even thought the price increase later cos once they found out the goodness of the birdnests, they will pay and continue to eat birdnests and they shall be your future introducers to local 100 gms buyers... or better home processed birdnests that are 100%+++ CLEAN AND 100%+++ PURE as I always tell my "processed nests" buyers that my" Head is the guaranty" in chinese.

Hope my way will at least help you alittle to pay your interest and obviously not enough for Ah Long.

Agreed with you, I had some nests about 8 years ago and only turn slightly yellowish......but still OK. You do really need to dry properly the nest before storage and best keep them in container at dry area and if you do have cold room, that's the best as aricon keep the air very dry and nests keep in these condition can remain white for longer period of time.

No drying or exposing the nests under the sun cos that will certainly turn the nests brownish. Thanks as we do all share here and more closer in these bad time.



This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 10 2012, 06:07 PM

Hi,

Still thinking of building BH but I guess that it's better to wait and if the price remain or still down, then you need not build one and buying one will be the best alternative. Even cheaper than building your own and need to wait while buying one will save you at least a year of waiting and free nests.

The bad time for us, BH owners also affect many other Buzs and many contractors and suppliers may also be thinking of quitting. Hope that they can come out with a solution to our problem which shouldn't be difficult to solve if they understand the problems.

Everything go up these years and the only thing that go down the drain is our birdnests.

There are still buyers out there and if Malaysia can no longer export then how come there are buyers out there and the offering price are low and the best I heard is Rm2100/Kg.

Let me tell you a open secret and that is that they smuggled the nests from countries bordering China and that's why I told here that even after 3 years, there still be Malaysia nests in China for sale.

One even told me that we don't need to export directly to China and only to neighbouring China countries and they, the Tai Ko there will do the rest.....so, you are dealing with the Buyers @ these countries. Therefore, you nests will not be wasted but since these market are controlled by afew who know the ways out, we are at their mercy.......unless our Govt. can help solve our problem and we are allow to export our unprocessed nests directly to China without going thru Ministers' friends.

I do appeal to our Govt. to allow free export to China and under the surveillance of one Govt. department to ensure that our nests are pure. What's 1M and 1 everything don't apply here.....we, the raayat also want only satu (1) Agency for convenience sake. If other countries don't required, why do we need to and if other countries smuggle the nests in to China, at least allow us to export legally with least inconveniences....we want to be clean and honest businessmen and not criminals; at least help us to become one.

Allow all certified Lab to approved our nests quality approved by China and with the certification, we hope to be able to export. Don't monopolizes everything that make profit and only allow the rich and influential guys to make money..........also, allow the nests to be exported as it is so that no adulteration or additives added to lower the chemical content of these nests..........making it not original.

We imported alot of tea from China and all of these tea do contain chemical that are harmful to human and we still take the tea as they are as these are natural ingredient in the leave and by artificially removing the harmful substances, the tea will never taste the same and nobody will buy anyway.

Hope that I talk some sense here.

Wish that I have In-Laws bordering China, then I will make my EBN money without investing in BHs.

Most of these countries basically have their people moving in and out like at sungei Golok where people just cross border with motorcycles without any documents. How do I know cos I have been there and the river then was so narrow that just turn the boat and I am in Thailand soil.

I didn't knew then cos I was with my friends for a trip to Golok as I haven't visited Golok then and I have my passport ready but due to the flooding of the monsoon, we were late and the border pass was closed for the night.

My friends took me to the river crossing and there, I was in Golok but I was so worried that the next day, I wanted to have my passport stamp, so early next morning, my friend got me a Thai and off we ride thru the immigration and do a U turn and back to the immigration for the stamping; how foolish of me to worry as I was back to Malaysia on a motorbike and then again to Golok just to get stamping on my passport.....all in less than 20 mins.

So, China having so huge a border and impossible to close all and bordering people can just go in and out without passport and smuggling of goods are normal affair.

Hope you like my Golok trip story as there is nothing new about EBN and BH......just that another buyer came offering Rm2100-Rm2200 and I wasn't interested to recommend sellers to him.

As far as I know, there are no AF in Hainan or any part of China at present. There were consultants from Malaysia that went to Hainan to teach the Chinese there swiftlets farming; Farming to be exact and the Malaysian bought alot of eggs from here to hatch in Hainan and using the Indo's method of hand feeding the swiftlets and hope to help the Hainanese to farm swiftlets to harvest EBN....and I believe making alot of money from the Chinese in Hainan island.

Many years ago, I was in China and a Chinese friend asked me that his village has alot of swiftlets but I told him that those are not edible nest swiftlets but swallow by his description of the specie. I told of a method of trying to breed AF if he is interested.

Maybe some here do have more information to share among fellow forum friends here on it.

Those found in China are of the feather type - Maximus and not Edible-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus) so there, the people pick the nests out unlike us, we pick up the feather. Their nests consist of more than 90% feathers and only a small percentage edible nests and so, their price is very high consider the danger of climbing up so high to get so little nests.

Oyes! If I am not wrong, India also have the Maximus type of swiftlets and early days, they infact took India's Maximus nests back to China.

This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 19 2012, 04:36 PM

Good thinking but cannot cos if you have seen the feather type of nests then you will know that those nests collected are mostly brownish and can stand boiling for long time unlike our's that will melt easily.

Most of the nests are collected from the edge part sticking to the cave wall and the rest will be removed alittle at a time........very time consuming process.

Someone told me that the Indo Govt. told the Chinese that they will also enforce the same PPM on the chinese products if the China insist of so low a PPM on EBN and I believe that will bring the Chinese to understand that the PPM never was and will never be an issue and all are required that the EBN be exported without any additive or chemical added.

If the Indo Govt. really said so, than I shall compliment the Indo Govt. on a job well done cos if you insist on this then we shall also insist on that; fair, right? But our Mal. Govt. are afraid of the Chinese Govt. as we export more to China than import.

So, if the Chinese want 30 PPM than we also insist on 30PPM on the import of chinese products and I assured all here that none of China food export need the requirement or even close.

Like I said, the possibility of " Ada Udang Sebalik Batu" or simply with hidden personal agenda for those who are getting us in these situation to make billions.

Here, we experiencing more buyers coming to buy and if sellers hold back or demand slightly higher price, I believe that they shall get their requests......as my friend did after receiving my sms that I was offering him better quote for his nests and immediately, he get a slight increment of price.....or otherwise, he may force to sell even lower than before. Reason is very clear because if the buyer know that he has competition for the nests, he will and most willing to offer better price otherwise, you shall expect the buyers to quote lower for reason like that your nest is not pure white, not big enough and maybe little dirt or any excuses he can throw on you to get you to give in so don't and never fall into the trap as many did and still never learn the lesson cos what they like to see is real cash before the eyes and not nests.

More buyers esp. local ones mean only one thing that is there are oversea buyers require EBN and so, I shall expect increment of price provided that sellers don't undercut others to sell low.

Don't expect a huge increment immediately but certainly increment is on the way and will need all cooperation to ensure increment all the way and in afew months, we hope to attain about RM3K and slowly and hopefully back to the old price we all are hoping for and that's Rm4.5K in a year.

IshaAllah, the cloud will clear and we shall see the moon again.

Thanks, Chitchai for sharing as we all are a big happy family before but now alittle sadder but at least we have each other, swiftlets ranchers in the whole world unite and we definitely will create a better future.

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Added on March 24, 2012, 11:32 amFrom information obtained, 30ppm is only possible for processing quality nests using new method but impossible for unprocessed nests and that the trouble. We the owners of BHs will be at the mercy of the nest processing plants as only processed nests will pass the requirement....and here in Malaysia, only a handful are allow to process nests for export. So, we, honest "Farmers" will have to become criminals and "under water" the nests into China.....

This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 24 2012, 11:32 AM

The Chinese are here and it's good news now but maybe bad news in years to come as they have the excess money to buy all in what they want like oil palm estate, palm oil mill and refineries and may include BH, prcessing plants and sooner or later even prime commercial area if allow to and in near future future, we all shall rent from the Chinese and not Malaysian.

I have see this coming but not so soon but we did it to our self. We should be happy now that we shall get better price for our nests very soon and who care if the whole economy taken by China Chinese years later cos we, Non Bumi Malaysian never get the fair chance to share anywhere.

If only the Malaysia Govt. believe in fairness and equality; that all Malaysian irrespective of color, religion or creed are Malaysia children; then Malaysia would be a paradise for all.

I don't study economic but understand that for every ringgit generated, 90 sen go back to the state and if the people don't make, nothing go to the state. Let all Malaysian be free to generate wealth as most of it will go back to the state in one form or another. Sorry again for posting some politic here

This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 25 2012, 02:07 PM

Thanks BenChai...........at least, we shall have good food on the table at present......Future are all to see for if we don't survive today, where got tomorrow.......

After so many year of independence, we are still lacking behind for because of NEP or Govt. Policies, the greatness of the nation have been neglected and forgo; just like good horses being pull back to allow slower animals to catch up and end up with foreigners getting the goodies which should be ours.

BenChai, we shall drink and sing when we meet to forget and think only of all the great things that we have done. YamSeng!!!!!!

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Added on March 26, 2012, 10:58 amI don’t know how they can obtain such low ppm but I think that one way to do it is to soak them in running water to dilute the nitrite in the nests as nitrite will easily dilute in water and then totally break down the nests and then rinse them again many times, then reassemble them back into half cup. You waste a large percentage of nests but you gain by making super size nests out of small nests, broken nests which are much cheaper than super A nests.

Just a suggestion.

This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 26 2012, 10:58 AM

Have anyone here clean the nest properly like no nitrite and how it taste? Even thinking of it, Yak!

Anymore of the egg white smell and is the taste remain the same?

I take birdnest so often and hate to destroy the original taste of birdnests...have tried adding many other food to ebn but still prefer the original taste just sweeten with rock suger.

Als, I would like to ask if 0% nitrite, will the birdnest becoming unhealthy after some time to eat as previously, birdnests can be kept for years and still taste OK and healthy....cos, if I am not wrong that nitrite also help to preserve food, right? Would it be still the same with 0 % nitrite if it become possible?

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Added on March 27, 2012, 5:48 pmNow, coming to scientific facts:

1. Nitrates and Nitrites preserve the nests and help to kill bacteria during storage period.
2. Will the favour be the same without nitrite and nitrate.
3. IS the danger of botulum poisoning be present in birdnests without the Ns.

Since that EBN have been safely consumed for hundreds of years and only removing most of it during washing and cooking and now, removing it during processing and then storing them without the Ns, will it cause bacteria to breed and worst, botulinum poisoning in the process.

If removing Ns are the problem, then instruct users to rinse well before cooking EBN to prevent formation of Nitrosamines which occur in cooking in very high temperature which cooking EBN only at 100%C.



This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 27 2012, 05:48 PM

Hahaha, I remember that I have heard that someone did place a dummy tiger in his plantation to scare away monkeys and the report said that it worked. and not only monkeys but human being also were scare to venture there, too. Those who have oil palm plantation should use the "tiger" method as I heard that many thieves are stealing oil palm in motorcycle and small cars and one car full can fetch at least few hundreds.

Maybe, your snake will do the same the same.

This post has been edited by West Wing: Mar 28 2012, 04:57 PM