Set aside for bird nest farming

KOTA MARUDU: Kota Marudu and Pitas will be the cluster areas for development of swiftlet bird’s nest farming for northern Sabah, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili.

Ongkili, who is also Kota Marudu MP, said the bird’s nest farming would be implemented in the two districts aggressively as a major economic contributor for Kota Marudu and Pitas.

He added that the Veterinary Service Department in its detailed observation and study had also identified Kota Marudu and its neighbouring Pitas as the best places in northern Sabah for the swiftlet farming activity.

Farm on top: A filepic of a structure used for swiftlet farming at the outskirts of Kota Kinabalu.
“This is due to the availability of water bodies and forests which provide feed that attracts a large population of birds. “The development of swiftlet farming clusters is being finalised by Pemandu as an NKEA project under Sedia (Sabah Economic Development and Investment Authority) for community development,” he said after chairing the Parliamentary Agriculture Development Council meeting, here on Tuesday.

In the Kota Marudu district, 30 swiftlet hostels have been developed for commercial purposes while 43 projects had been carried out under the e-Kasih list of hardcore poor to generate income for poor rural folks.

A filepic of the interior of a swiftlet farmhouse.

In Pitas, 17 projects under the e-Kasih initiative are being carried out with each participant given an allocation of RM10,000, while 20 commercial swiftlet hostels have also been built.

“Many of the swiflet hostels in Kota Marudu have already produced the edible bird’s nest,” Dr Ongkili said, adding that the bird’s nest farming activity would offer income enhancement for the lower income group.
He has also received many inquiries from interested investors from Peninsular Malaysia and as far as Guandong, China who were keen to undertake swiftlet farming in Kota Marudu for commercial purposes.
A seminar on swiftlet farming would also be held next month to promote the activity to interested rural folks in Kota Marudu.

Later, Ongkili presented monetary aid to 13 families who lost or suffered damages to their homes during the floods that occurred in the district this year. Each of them received between RM1,000 to RM3,000 in aid which were allocated by the National Security Council — Bernama.