A swift’s-nest farming place in Kiên Giang Province. — VNS Photo Văn Châu HCM CITY — Việt Nam's bird-nest exports are expected to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars when the world's largest market, China, opens up this year. Chinese demand for bird’s nest is growing, but Vietnamese firms need to take new measures to officially export to that country rather than involve in informal border trade, the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development (MARD) said. Đỗ Tú Quân, head of the Việt Nam Swiftlet Farming Association, said Vietnamese exporters hope the two countries would quickly reach agreement and the first order to China could be delivered this quarter. Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Phùng Đức Tiến said the industry has been developing rapidly in the country, mostly in the south, but the unofficial border trade has been resulting in low value and profits. There are 20,000 nests farmed in 42 of the country’s 63 provinces and cities with approximately 120 tonnes worth US$450 million harvested annually, according to Tiến. But exports to China account for only 8 per cent. China banned import of bird’s nests of unclear origin from Việt Nam in 2011 following a fake products scandal. It lifted the ban in 2015 and replaced it with tough rules aimed at improving safety and traceability. Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have all completed legal procedures to export bird’s nest to China, but Việt Nam cannot export officially due to several reasons, including the lack of quality standards for the product and export standards. In recent years MARD has sought to promote exports to foreign markets, including China. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, negotiations to export the product to China have mainly been conducted through online meetings but are almost complete, deputy director of MARD's department of livestock breeding, Nguyễn Văn Trọng, said. Many swift breeding places are unhygienic, …
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