NIBONG TEBAL, June 22 – The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (KPKM) has asked the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) to hold discussions with durian kampung growers to assist them in exporting fresh durians to China.
Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said KPKM has also requested Fama to act as a facilitator and develop mechanisms to address this issue as it represents an opportunity to expand the business of durian kampung growers.
“Fama needs to sit down and discuss with the durian kampung growers to help market and export their durians to China. Large-scale durian companies in places like Raub and Bentong in Pahang and Gua Musang (Kelantan) are different because they already know the procedures to export.
“For those planting durians in villages who want to market to China but don’t know how to send them there, we’ve asked Fama to facilitate and discuss mechanisms to help them,” he told reporters after attending an engagement session with leaders of the Penang Farmers Organisation at Dewan Gerakan Masyarakat Sungai Duri on Saturday.
Fresh durians from Malaysia can now be exported to China following the signing of the Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements for Export of Fresh Durians from Malaysia to China on Wednesday.
Elaborating further, Mohamad said that not only durians with high grades or well-known brands will be exported to China, but also various types, including premium durian kampung, due to the widespread demand for durians in that country.
“As long as the customers in China want them, we will send various types durians because some people in China cannot afford the expensive ones and may choose other varieties besides ‘Musang King’ and ‘Black Thorn.’
“In China, a durian can sell for between RM100 and RM150 each, which they consider a normal price. Based on projections, we might be able to export billions of ringgit worth of durians every year from now on,” he said.
In 2022, Malaysia’s durian exports worldwide reached RM1.14 billion. Overall, durians were the main contributor, accounting for 58.6 percent of the country’s total fruit export value of RM2.01 billion in 2022.
China was the primary export market for Malaysian durians, with an export value of RM887 million in 2022. The export value of durians is projected to continue increasing to RM1.8 billion by 2030.
