Swallow's nest trade brisk during crisis<\/p>\n
By M.M.I. Ahyani<\/p>\n
LABUAN, West Java (JP): It is sometimes difficult to
\nunderstand man's attitude toward and taste for food and medicine.
\nTake a swallow's nest, for example. This edible nest, which is
\nmade from the saliva of swallows, is widely famed as a medicine
\nof great efficacy. As for the taste of the nest, that, of course,
\ndepends on who you are asking.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, which is geographically endowed with a lot of
\ncoastline and rocky mountainous areas, is an ideal location for
\nswallows to breed.<\/p>\n
It is understandable then, that the country supplies 80
\npercent of the world's demand for swallow nests. Those
\nIndonesians involved in the swallow nest business can at present
\nsupply an average of 40 tons of swallow nests a year, while in
\n1998 this figure was only 30 tons a year.<\/p>\n
How much money is generated from the swallow nest business?
\nSwallow nests with a saliva content of 99 percent can fetch Rp 13
\nmillion\/kilogram, while the nest of a sriti, a bird similar to
\nthe swallow, can go for Rp 1.5 million\/kg.<\/p>\n
It turns out, however, that swallows do not favor only
\ncoastal ecosystems. In a number of areas relatively far from the
\ncoast, such as Magelang and Klaten, swallows can also be found.
\nObviously, locations which are home to swallows and their nests
\ncan commercially benefit from these birds.<\/p>\n
Sobong village, Panimbang subdistrict, Pandeglang, is a case
\nin point. Originally a poor village, Sobong has seen a spurt of
\ndevelopment thanks to the presence of swallows.<\/p>\n
In this village, houses which are favored by swallows are sold
\nfor billions of rupiah. Certainly they are not luxury houses with
\nall the modern conveniences. Frequently they are simple brick
\nhouses which look gloomy, stuffy and eerie, and which swallows
\nlike to nest in.<\/p>\n
Although Sobong is quite remote and its four-km road is in
\ndisrepair, it is not completely isolated. And while the village
\ncan be difficult to reach, land is still quite expensive here. A
\nsquare meter of land will cost you Rp 250,000. In a neighboring
\nvillage, the going price of land is Rp 5,000 per square meter.<\/p>\n
According to Ali Balfas, one of the village's most successful
\nswallow nest businessmen, the price of land and houses in Sobong
\nis higher than in other villages because the quality of swallow
\nnests in this village is higher than in other areas.<\/p>\n
As Sobong is well-known as a nesting place for swallows, many
\nnewcomers, particularly from Cirebon and Gresik, have come to the
\nvillage to get into the swallow nest business.<\/p>\n
These newcomers usually invest hundreds of millions of rupiah
\nto buy a plot of land and build a house on it. They do not even
\nhesitate to lay down a large sum of money for a house which comes
\nwith its own swallow nests. \"Therefore, it is not surprising to
\nsee Sobong swallow nest owners can still smile even now,\" said
\nDwiatmo Siswowartono, former director of the Flora and Fauna
\nReserve Development at the Directorate General of Forest
\nProtection and Nature Conservation. Dwiatmo has conducted
\nnumerous research projects on swallows in Indonesia and recently
\nhe took part in a discussion on the birds with members of the
\nWildlife Conservation Forum here.<\/p>\n
There are currently some 200 swallow nest businesspeople in
\nSobong, each of whom usually handles hundreds of swallow nests.<\/p>\n
According to Ali, in those houses swallows have chosen to nest
\nin, their nests can be collected once every two to three months.
\n\"It usually takes 120 to 150 swallows to produce one kilogram of
\nswallow nests. If swallows find a house they like, it could end
\nup housing thousands of swallows. You could harvest over 10
\nkilograms of swallow nests with one collection,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The first and foremost problem confronting someone who wishes
\nto break into the business is how to entice these valuable birds
\nto their house.<\/p>\n
From the results of research and surveys, said Dwiatmo, there
\nare four conditions which may lure swallows. These four are known
\nas KaCa SuSu (which literally means milk glass in English). It
\ntranslates to humidity, lighting, temperature and noise.<\/p>\n
\"Swallow nest owners must really understand these four
\ncharacteristics so that they can arrange the right humidity,
\nlighting, temperature and noise in their house. Otherwise, the
\nhouse may be just haunted,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Thanks to numerous research on this subject, swallow nest
\nowners and locals have begun to understand the benefit of
\nconservation and sustainability. To ensure that the swallow nest
\nbusiness will continue, for example, there is a season in which
\nthe swallow nest owners intentionally refrain from collecting the
\nnests because they want all the eggs to hatch. \"Otherwise, there
\nis fear that the number of swallow nests will decline,\" Dwiatmo
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
This method differs from the collecting of swallow nests in
\ncaves managed by regional governments. Because it is necessary to
\nreach a revenue target, a businessman who usually works on a
\ncontract basis, will harvest all available nests. As a result,
\nthe population of swallows will dwindle, resulting in a drop in
\nthe production of swallow nests.<\/p>\n
Ali Balfas said the population of swallows in his village was
\nstable because from the very beginning locals relied on their own
\nexperience and experimentation.<\/p>\n
Ali also said there was little difficulty in marketing the
\nnests. Even before the nests have been collected, potential
\nbuyers have already begun making bids. There are presently 16
\nswallow nest exporters in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Most of the swallow nests are exported to China because
\ndomestically few people can afford this luxury item. So those in
\nthe business are able to rake in U.S. dollars.<\/p>\n
\"That's why none of those in the swallow nest business have
\nbeen hit by the monetary crisis. They actually make large profits
\nduring the monetary crisis,\" Ali said.<\/p>",
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