A Yala resident has been able to generate extra income from selling swallow nests she collects from a 3-storey building created specifically for the birds.
Nureeyoh Hayee-salae, the owner of the building in Krong Pinang district, said the construction cost her 2 million baht. The building has a ventilation system to keep the air inside fresh for the birds.
Nureeyoh said that she began collecting swallow nests, created by swallows using their saliva, 3 years ago.
“They are particularly prized in Asian culture due to their rarity, and supposedly high nutritional value and exquisite flavor”, she commented.
“I collect the nests every 6 weeks and sell them to restaurants in Hat Yai district, Songkhla province.”
Nureeyoh claims she earns about 70,000 baht every 3 months from selling the nests. She hopes to break even within 3 years.
Nureeyoh can earn around 31,000 baht for a kilogram of bird nests and at least 35,000 baht when the demand is high. More people in the restive south have begun breeding swallows due to the growing demand.