For couple of months many of my readers had asked my opinion on the recent Nitrate contains in the Malaysian EBN which had pushed the price below Rm 3k/kg. Many are panicked and they feared that the future of EBN is uncertain. Some even wanted to dispose off their Bhs.
I have not written about this because I had anticipated it as a short term hiccup and it is part and parcel of the swiftlet farming industry. It wouldn’t be a permanent damage anyway and in a short period toward the first quarter of 2012 I presume the price would rebound slightly.
As we know the EBN can never be 100% free of Nitrate. As its nature of nest making and the condition of the Swiftlet farm which is damp, filed with birds dropping, dark environment, etc.
Even vegetables from the markets contain Nitrate (thru fertilizers and soils) but whether it is at the acceptable level for consumption or otherwise is another thing. Obviously too high level of Nitrate in any foods is bad for health.
All know it was started from some coloring in the red EBN by some culprits who wanted to pocket extra profit. At the result all EBNs from Malaysia ended up subjected to the Nitrate test.
The cleaning processes also have something to do with it so how could the EBN be 100% Nitrate free?
But this doesn’t mean the end of the EBN business for Malaysia. As I had always said “Bad things happened for Good”.
Now many nests collectors from Indonesia, Vietnam, etc are buying huge amount of Non- processed EBN from Malaysia and bring back to their countries to process. Once processed these EBNs will be labeled as products of their countries.
Would these EBNs subject to Nitrate test? No….. so it is all about International trade relationship.
There are some who are so frighten that they wanted to dispose off their Bhs. For me this is the opportunity to squeeze the Bh price down and grab few which are potential. Isn’t this an opportunity for investment. Whenever there is a down turn there is always opportunity.
Isn’t all the Business Tycoons make money from such situation?
Good Swiftlet Farming All!.