About swiftlet farming 

Swiftlet farming has been practiced in Malaysia for over 5 decades and in our neighboring country, Indonesia, decades longer. In recent years, it has become a popular investment choice due to the high market price of edible bird nest (which ranges from RM3,000 to RM4,500 depending on the quality). It is the practice of harvesting bird nests made from the saliva of swiftlets (Aerodramus fuciphagus) after the baby swiftlets have flown away from the nest. Back in the olden days, swiftlets made their nest in big caves (their natural habitat) and people had to risk their lives to climb up in the process of harvesting. Over the years, swiftlet farmers have started to build swiftlet houses to imitate the conditions of the cave in doing so, have successfully lured swiftlets into nesting in their bird houses. The planks in the bird houses are not too high, hence it is easier and safer to harvest the nest. This practice brings mutual benefits to both swiftlets and people, as - for swiftlets they have a safe place to nest and for people, the profits from the bird nest.

ABOUT NEST CLEANING 

After bird nests are harvested by swiftlet farmers, they cannot be consumed directly as they are still covered with impurities such as dust, feather and other contaminants. This is where the nest cleaning industry comes in. The bird nest will go through a manual process of being cleaned with tweezers to pluck out the impurities and then carefully molded back into their original shapes using various types of nesting moulds. It is a strenuous process that requires high concentration and much patience, as some of the impurities may be very fine. No bleaching or harmful chemicals should be involved in the right cleaning process. After cleaning, the bird nests are either sold locally or exported overseas to China which are able to fetch higher prices.