A swiftlet secretes saliva inside a ‘birdhouse’ factory in Kampot province. - Photo: Facebook
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia and China have reached an agreement that will allow the export of Cambodian swiftlet nests to Chinese markets.
The agreement was signed during the official state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Cambodia on April 17–18.
Nang Sothy, president of the Cambodia Swiftlet Federation, told The Post this week that on April 17, government representatives of Cambodia and China signed a total of 37 memorandums of understanding (MoUs).
Of them, three related specifically to Cambodian agricultural products, allowing for the export of swiftlet nests, durian and baby crocodiles to China, starting immediately.
“Cambodian swiftlet nests are recognised for their high quality because we have a cleaner and greener environment compared to other countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, where heavy industry is more developed but the nests are often exposed to various pollutants and chemicals,” he explained.
“I strongly believe that our swiftlet nest production is of high quality, Furthermore, they are highly competitive in terms of pricing,” he added.
Sothy noted that under the new agreement, Cambodia is allowed to export both raw and processed swiftlet nests, provided they meet Cambodia’s hygiene and phytosanitary certification standards.
According to Sothy, there are currently an estimated 3,000 to 3,500 swiftlet houses (birdhouses) operating in Cambodia.
However, only about 700 of them are officially registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
During President Xi’s visit, 37 cooperation documents were signed, covering a wide range of sectors including global security cooperation, education, human resource development, agriculture, industry, supply chain connectivity, development aid, customs, meteorology, health, tourism and media.
They do not include several agreements between governments and private entities and business-to-business deals, some of which involve major projects, such as the Funan Techo multi-purpose water resource management project, the construction of a 900 MW LPG power plant in Koh Kong province and a strategic partnership on railway development, among others. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
