KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) sent out the first sea shipment of fresh Malaysian jackfruit to Beijing, China last month.
The Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) in a statement said it was a collaborative effort with the Malaysian Department of Agriculture, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) and Dulai Fruits Enterprise Sdn Bhd.
According to FAMA, the shipment was made after Malaysian jackfruit was officially granted market access by The General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China, (GACC) on April 11 following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to China in April.
“The shipment was made to identify the suitability of post-harvest handling methods, treatment, storage temperature, shelf life and fruit quality upon arrival at the export destination.
“The packaging, processing, storage and transport of this first shipment of jackfruit is strictly monitored by the Malaysian Department of Agriculture, FAMA, and MARDI to ensure the quality and safety of the fruit and comply with the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) requirements of China,” read to the statement.
GACC has approved seven jackfruit farms and eight packaging facilities to export the commodity to the republic. Malaysia is the third country after Thailand and Vietnam to be allowed to export jackfruit to China.
For the record, Malaysia exported 5,649.82 metric tonnes worth RM15.03 million of jackfruit in 2020 and 7,260.31 metric tonnes worth RM18.5 million in 2021.
According to FAMA, the Malaysian jackfruit market is concentrated in Singapore, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Germany, so the upward momentum is seen as a good reception for the commodity globally.
“During the ASEAN-China Expo in October, KPKM through FAMA sent fresh J33 jackfruit by air to China to promote J33 Honey Jackfruit as a commodity that has a high value in the Chinese market and Malaysia as a hub for producing quality jackfruit in the world.
FAMA said the ceremony to celebrate Malaysia’s first sea shipment of fresh jackfruit was held at the Imported Fruit Trading Area, Xinfadi Market and Rainbow Supermarket, Beijing.
Xinfadi Market managing director Zhang Yuxi said this first arrival of the Malaysian jackfruit at Xinfadi Market marks a new stage of development in the international fruit trade between Malaysia and China.
“The skin of the Malaysian jackfruit is yellowish green and the fruit weighs more than 15 kg. The flesh is soft, juicy, sweet, fragrant and rich in nutrition. In the future, more tropical fruits from Malaysia will enter the Xinfadi Market and be able to diversify the fruit choices of the people in the Chinese capital, Beijing,” he said.
