The Malaysian Insight

MALAYSIA will “very soon” be exporting durians to China, where there is high demand for the king of fruits, Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Sim Tze Tzin said.

He said the ministry’s delegation, comprising of its secretary-general and directors, had just met with China’s Agriculture and Rural Affairs Ministry in Beijing last week.

Malaysia exporting durians to China was one of the matters discussed, he said.

Sim said a delegation from the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) would be repaying a visit to Malaysia mid this year on the matter.

“We ask players in the durian business to upgrade their farms according to the GACC standards if they want to export to China,” he told a press conference at the 10th Penang International Halal Expo and Conference this morning.

Sim said Malaysia was also planning to go big on “durian tourism”, adding that his ministry is in talks with the Tourism Ministry on how to push the product mid this year, when the fruits are in season.

Next year, in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year, he said durians will be made a major attraction again when they are in season from May to September.

The idea of selling durians as a tourism product, he said, involves to getting tourists to visit durian farms around the country.

“Durian growers in Penang, Pahang, Perak, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak should upgrade their farms and invest in agrotourism like building chalets and resorts, and introduce activities like durian festivals.

“If we want to capitalise on our durians, which many have recognised to be the best in the world, we have to also introduce downstream products, like durian ice creams and others. I have even heard of durian pizzas and ‘bah kut teh’ now.”

Sim also said the success of Malaysian durians will also generate income for airlines and others who depend on tourism like homestay operators, retailers, taxi and Grab drivers.

Asked if the export of durians, and marketing them to tourists would drive up prices for the fruits, he said prices were decided by market forces.

He said he does not think durians will become too expensive for locals to enjoy if durian farmers planted more.

“Prices will be up if the supply is low. If farmers see there is high demand, they will plant more durians and even invest in modern farming to meet the demands,” he said.

Two years ago, it was reported that durian prices went up due to high demand from Chinese tourists.

A musang king durian, one of the premium variants, was reportedly going for RM90 to RM100 per kg in Kuala Lumpur. It was half the price in 2015. – March 1, 2019.