TASEK GELUGOR, June 23 — The Penang state government is trying to help local durian exporters to deal with the dumping of the king of fruits that has occurred following constraints in exporting to overseas markets.
State Trade, Entrepreneurship and Rural Development Committee chairman Datuk Rashidi Zinol said he himself had held several meetings with the Penang Durian Entrepreneurs Association to discuss the issue, including logistical challenges and high transportation costs.
“There is dumping because some of the durians that are to be exported are facing transportation constraints and so on. In my discussions with the exporters involved, the cost is also quite high.
“Then, actually, durians are seasonal and this time the durian season is all at once or we can say the fruits fall at the same time, so there is a lot of supply and the market is increasing significantly. Some will profit and some will not profit much. Profit is not loss,” he told Bernama today.
He was met after attending the Pre-Launch Ceremony of the Penang Regional Development Authority (Perda) (Expert) 2026 Expo at Midtown Perda, Kubang Menerong here today which was also attended by Perda chairman Datuk Dr Shaik Hussein Mydin.
Rashidi said this when asked to comment on the complaints of durian entrepreneurs following the price of the king of fruits falling due to the dumping of the fruit in Penang at the moment.
Rashidi said the state government together with the Penang State Agriculture Department are discussing to open up more space for exporters who face obstacles in bringing local durian products to overseas markets.
He said that among the suggestions raised was the use of land routes for export purposes, but that method required scrutiny because it involved a longer travel time and the need to maintain the quality of the fruit.
“If exporting by land, the travel time could take up to four days, so the fruit used must be fresh and this matter required government approval and further discussions with relevant departments to ensure that the quality of Penang durian continues to be maintained,” he said.
He said that although the dumping situation benefited consumers because durian prices were lower, the state government remained committed and played a role in helping industry players, especially exporters and farmers.
Commenting on durian production this year, Rashidi said he was still waiting for a complete report from the Agriculture Department regarding the total production and export target for 2026, but explained that durian production was difficult to estimate accurately because it depended on seasonal factors and the yield of each different farm.
“Durian is different from crops such as rice, whose production can be measured more systematically, some farms produced yields and some did not, but this year most farms produced fruit,” he said, adding that the durian season in Penang is expected to continue until early August.
