Agriculture: Official agreement to export Cambodian birds' nests to China nears completion

Cambodia and China are currently speeding up official procedures to facilitate the export of edible bird nests from the Kingdom.

According to the Director General of the General Department of Agriculture, H.E. Ngin Chhay, negotiations between the two countries have reached the final stage

According to H.E. Ngin Chhay, a technical protocol will soon be signed and a team of Chinese experts will inspect the nesting facilities and packaging procedures to ensure quality.

In a recent interview with the local media, the president of the Khmer Swifts Association, Mr Suy Kokthean, revealed that his association had already signed a memorandum of understanding with the customs office of China's Guangxi province.

Once the official export procedures are in place, Cambodia will start supplying the birds' nests to this province.

Although Cambodia has not yet officially exported its nests to international markets, the trade is promising for both domestic demand and exports.

Mr Suy Kokthean added that the business was expanding rapidly, with bird's nests installed in almost every province of the country, providing around 100 tonnes of bird's nests a year.

The market price for unprocessed quality nests is between 400 and 450 US dollars per kilogram, and between 1,200 and 1,500 dollars for processed nests.

AKP