Potential and sustainability of swiftlet industries in Malaysia

Abstract

Rapid advancement of technology has led humanity to be well progressed in all aspects of life, especially health. The public began to realize the importance of health care. Besides the use of modern medicine, traditional medicine was also modified so that it lasts longer and has better quality, without changing the nutrient of the original materials. Consumption of a bird's nest in the health field has long been practiced by Chinese community due to its nutritional value. The awareness of the benefits of a bird's nest has opened the eyes of the local entrepreneurs everywhere including Malaysia. This paper will discuss the swiftlet nest industry in Malaysia. The progress of the swiftlet industry such as market value, productivity, problems and threats will be discussed. The market value and productivity as well as the problems in swiftlet nest industry are directly related to each other. Based on this review, the productivity of swiftlet nest is affected by the environmental factors such as food resources, moult process, reproduction and quality of food. Furthermore, the attraction of the bird to enter the birdhouse is greatly affected by the abundance of food sources. The production of the swiftlet nest is important as it illustrates the reliability, sustainability and efficiency of this industry in Malaysia.