We love swiftlet farming, forever and ever!!!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Crack down again!

(柔佛‧昔加末)昔加末县议会秘书慕斯达化表示,县议会將继续动用庭令,对付违反条例的养燕单位,进行拆除音响和扩音器的工作。


昔加末县议会执法组於8月17日,於昔加末旧市区的燕楼拆音响和扩音器。县议会是在取得庭令的情况下,向3家养燕单位(包括20层楼大厦)展开取缔行动。


慕斯达化表示,在检举养燕单位方面,地方政府面对一些难题,因为州政府主张禁止及查封养燕单位,但是联邦政府却主张发出准证给养燕单位,这“灰色地带”导致县议会在进行检举行动时,往往会陷入混淆的状况。


他披露,针对养燕单位问题,以副首相丹斯里慕尤丁担任主席的地方政府国家理事会將做出最后的定夺,不过最终的定案尚未明朗。


“既然不能贸然拆除养燕单位,县议会只能在接获任何严重性的噪音投诉后,即刻申请庭令以拆除养燕单位內的音响系统。”


他希望政府能儘快做出妥善的决定,以解决养燕单位所產生出的诸多问题。


Source: sinchew.com.my 星洲日报/大柔佛‧2009.08.19



Will you give us a break?

The public and BH ranchers are asking the same question.

If we are not able to control the noise problem, all will face the impact, nobody will gain.

May be this is the time for those uncooperative BH owners to slow down their BH music a bit...

Do not take thing for granted.

Do not underestimate what the local council can do.

Do not ask why we are not allowed to proceed when some of us do not give a damn on what they have done onto others.

Be a wise, responsible & reasonable farmer, then it will be alright.

In the same time I pray that the local government will not one broad sweep nailing down everyone.









Friday, August 14, 2009

Location! Location! Location!



Location may play a fundamental role in determining the bird nest growth rate of a BH.

If we use and repeat the similar design & method for BHs in different locations, it will definitely give us different result.

1 theory can not be practised throughout "1 Malaysia".

If designing a sucessful BH is so simple, we will have a lot of swiftlet farming "photocopy shop" providing/duplicating or churning out replica (like what we have seen in ecopark.)..we do not need to attend seminars, read books and search high & low for expert/sifu any more...

"Turnkey" concept is irrelevant for this industry, it is not meant or suitable or fit for lazy people who want to make money but do not want to go through the hardship.

One successful BH's secret recipe cannot be used 100% to guarantee another's. Everything is dependent on the environment (external & internal) and the circumstances...

Building BH in swiftlet hotspot area tends to have higher successful rate as compared to non-favorable area.

This is due to birds growth rate.

Be that as it may, it does not mean that we will have failed farm in non-hotspot area, is just that it will take longer gestation period for the ranchers to get back their money invested owing to the slower growth rate.

I have seen, many a times, there are more birds "swarming" the BHs located at some special areas and just one KM down the road, there are lesser birds populated the BHs over there. Some sifus try to explain such phenomenon as "due to the location is not in the flying path of the swiftlets".

It is analogical to property investment where the rental yield for houses located in prime area will be higher & growing faster than the slump area and the former will be comparatively much sought after by the buyers. Of course swiftlet hotspots will command higher investment cost. If the rancher does not have deep pocket, he/she will face no choice but downgrade to tolerate and accept areas where property value is lower and in the same time having lesser birds & lower growth rate.

So be wise to choose the location.

Personally, I will choose moderately good location and in the same time build a value-for-money BH, & it ought to be within my means.

But, a BH in the jungle will not be my first choice.




Monday, August 10, 2009

Does size matter?






Since I graduated, I have never looked back for a while.

Sweet memories, bad experience, happiest moments, ups and downs, they just come and go so fast...I would say that construction industry is really making wonders out of scratch.....and it's not too exaggerate to say it is out of thin air....

All these years, I have completed many projects, from one as big as a dam to as small as a BH.

I find that both dam & BH share a common characteristic where they are to be constructed within a certain time frame and budget and they need the builder's very strong determination, team work, concerted effort & perseverance to overcome the hardship before achieving the final product.

Does size really matter, when it comes to measurement of level of satisfaction towards our achievement?

No, I personally don't feel so.

To me, it's equally challenging to ensure a successful completion of a BH, as compared to a dam, bridge or a super highway.

However, if you thought that the size is the only difference between these two projects, you could not have been more wrong.

To me, I discover that the stark difference between them is :

"How we react during the rainy days"

Most of the builders who undertake to construct highway or external infrastructure works, have had the same experience that during rainy season they feel very helpless and frustrated cause their whole operation at site has to be shutdown until sunshine comes back again.

And yet on the other hand for a BH, it is totally reversed, it's kind of blessing that during the rainy days, we will have more birds visit our BHs to build nests. Every ranchers will laugh all the way to the bank for the resounding results...

Believe it or not?

This is not just a story-telling. This is a gift from God. This is real.



Saturday, August 1, 2009

Problems faced by the bird's nest industry

The disaster is happening when power prevails and law legitimizes what prevails..

It is a disgrace of our nation that some abusive departments are trying to be funny & going to great lengths to take us backward when it is unquestionably that we are enjoying the benefits & income generating from the God-send gifts.

Why should we follow blindly the insensible policies (the uncalled-for exit tax)?

Why that should be so?

Where is the spirit of promoting economic freedom?

Can we see any of the government's constructive vision for this "smokeless" industry?

Can we see any brighter hope in the foreseeable future?

We can't move very far if we are heading to the wrong direction....