China’s bird’s nest crackdown leaves Indonesia struggling to feather its …
Demand from health conscious Chinese may have sent the price of nests soaring, but import restrictions have clipped the wings of Indonesian exporters – sending sales of the prized soup ingredient underground
Inside, as many of 40,000 frenetic swiftlets swoop and occasionally careen into visitors. The object of their frenzy: scores of nests, which they spin out of their own saliva and are prized by millions, mainly in China where they are used to make soup.
“Chinese love this. We can’t produce enough,” says Wahyudi. “The more we make, the more we sell.”
Growing demand from wealthier Chinese consumers, plus efforts by Beijing to restrict imports and boost regulations, have helped prices for bird nests take wing. The Indonesian Bird’s Nest Association says prices per kilo have soared six fold to as much as US$3,000 a kilogram in recent years for the very best quality nests.
“Chinese demand is growing fast. They have more money and they are spending on their health,” the group’s chairman, Boedi Mranata.
