Malaysia & Singapore Real Estate

[VBESTTECH]

Any1 has experience in bird nest investment.. can share some info here??

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ALL businesses are built on blood, sweat and tears, at least in the figurative sense. But one industry thrives on another bodily fluid – saliva. Bird saliva, that is. And not just any bird. It has to be the swiftlet, whose nests of hardened spit have been a delicacy treasured by the Chinese for centuries.


Depending on the quality, marketplace and timing, a kilogramme of unprocessed edible bird nest can fetch a few thousand ringgit.


The processing, a tedious and labour-intensive affair, typically doubles the value of the nests. Quoting a senior Sabah government official, a news report early last month says bird nest is sold at RM4,000 to RM18,000 per kg.


The global market is said to be worth billions of ringgit. Thanks to its head start of 20 years or so in swiftlet farming on a commercial scale, Indonesia supplies 70% to 80% of the bird nests consumed worldwide, mainly in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Macau, Singapore and North America.


Dr Christopher Lim, a nephrologist who has succeeded as a part-time swiftlet farmer and has authored a how-to book on the subject, says there are about 22,000 swiftlet farms (also known as swiftlet hotels, swiftlet houses or birdhouses) in Malaysia. He estimates that there are 200 new ones every month.


The list of towns that have become known for this activity is lengthening. There are such places in just about every state. What these towns usually have in common are proximity to agricultural and forest land, and relatively low levels of industrial activity.

The first element is important because farms, plantations and jungles support the swiftlets’ diet of flying insects. The lack of factories in the vicinity matters because air pollution is anathema to the birds.


You can find many swiftlet farms in Perak (in Sitiawan, Ipoh, Teluk Intan and Taiping, for example), Pahang (Kuantan, Rompin, Pekan), Kelantan (Kota Baru, Tumpat), Terengganu (Kuala Terengganu, Kuala Besut) and Kedah (Sungai Petani).


The key attraction here is the lure of lucrative returns from a passive investment. The idea is simple – put up a well-designed and well-equipped swiftlet farm at the right spot, and the rest will fall in place. The birds will come and soon, you can keep harvesting their nests for many years.


“It’s a gold mine,” says Mohammad Azimullah, manager of Swiftlets Venture International (SVI), a consultancy outfit.


“You put in RM500,000 and if your location is good, you can net RM1mil a year within four years. Where else in the world can you find such a business?”


Kelvin Heng of Pearlnest, which does trading and consulting work, is convinced that swiftlet farming is currently the best investment opportunity in Malaysia.


He explains: “You invest only once. You don’t have to come out with money every month to pay maintenance and workers’ salaries. If the farm is successful, you can collect thousands of ringgit every month.”

[VBESTTECH]

no 1 interested on this topic? or i put it in the wrong forum..

[banzai]

read about stuff like these a few years back where shoplots are sold (think Malacca and PD) to these bird nest farming. And abuot neighours complaining about hygiene and the presence of the birds in the neighbourhood.

[beemaro]

Relating to property, lots of properties in SGP bought by Indonesians from bird nest money

Alot of bird nest in Riau Islands

[VBESTTECH]

bird nest structure built on a hill next to Country Heights Damansara .. really jialat

http://www.starproperty.my/PropertyScene/TheStarOnlineHighlightBox/5590/0/0

By PRIYA MENON
priya@thestar.com.my Photo by M. AZHAR | Jul 2, 2010
Not so chirpy residents
Massive: The three-storey structure built on a hill next to Country Heights Damansara, Kuala Lumpur.

RESIDENTS of Country Heights Damansara, Kuala Lumpur, are resenting the bird calls they hear every day and night from an illegal bird nest building next door.

The massive three-storey structure built on a hill near the posh neighbourhood has been there for more than six months and attracts a large number of swiftlets into the building.

At first, residents were puzzled by the constant noise from the jungle that never ceased until they discovered the activity.

“We were surprised that the jungle was so noisy, then we found out that an electronic musical sound mimicking birds had been placed inside the building to attract the swiftlets,” said Pete Meehan.

He added that people bought the RM8mil to RM10mil homes to enjoy peace and quiet only to be disturbed by the sound of birds.

According to another resident, Ang Kim Jhew, they have made at least six complaints to the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) since April.

“We were later told the problem is under the Department of Environment (DoE) and we complained to them as well. DoE later sent a letter to the DBKL supporting our complaint,” added Ang.

However, no action has been taken so far. They are also worried about environmental issues, including the droppings.

The residents contacted Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng to help them in their task.

“I have checked with the DBKL and they told me that there has been no permit for bird’s nest harvesting in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

Lim and StarMetro visited the site and found another structure being built.

When asked, the Indonesian workers who declined to be named, said the new structure was a section of rooms to be rented out.

The bird’s nest building was also locked and the workers said they did not have the keys to the building.

“We have not harvested the nests yet but there have been many birds coming and in out of the building,” said the worker.

Lim said he would lodge an official statement with the DBKL on behalf of the residents and would give the council two weeks to resolve the problem.

“I will ask that the man running the business be served a notice to close down the place and if the structure is illegal the owner will have to tear that down as well,” he added.

When contacted, DBKL’s corporate communications unit said they were aware of the problem and that the structure was illegal as it was built without a development order.

DBKL confirmed it will be taking action against the businessman as soon as possible.

The man, who did not want to be named, refused to talk to the press.