1kg bird’s nest limit for tourists

Tuesday January 17, 2012

By NURHIDAYAH RAMLI
newsdesk@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Tourists to Malaysia are now only allowed to take home a maximum 1kg of bird's nest.

“This is to ensure that no smuggling of this expensive commodity takes place,” Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar. He also announced that local companies would require three certificates to export edible bird's nest products to China.

The certificates are from the Veterinary Services Department, the Health Ministry and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Precious commodity: Noh (third from right) listening to assistant chemist Cassie Lee’s briefing on the commodity during a visit to PT Swift Marketing in Puchong yesterday. — Bernama

“After a company receives all three certificates, it will be allowed to use the 1Malaysia Best' logo and can export to China,'' Noh told reporters after launching the first authentic edible bird's nest trade and depository centre by PT Swift Marketing Sdn Bhd in Puchong yesterday.

He said the Government would not be held responsible for products without the “1Malaysia Best” logo.

Noh said previously only a Veterinary Services Department certificate was needed but due to the decline in quality, additional requirements had been added. He added that only eight companies had acquired the certificates so far.

Noh said the new rules were necessary because of concerns expressed by the Chinese government on excessive nitrite in bird's nests from Malaysia. “The two governments are discussing to determine the acceptable nitrite content. “It is impossible to get bird's nest with zero nitrite content but we hope to announce the figure soon,” he said.