Reuters News Agency reported on November 27th that the Chinese market demand for durians has reached unprecedented proportions. Malaysia plans to make durian its next big export product and is currently expanding the surface area devoted to durian plantation by hundreds of hectares.
The news article further stated that palm oil is Malaysia's largest export product, but durian promises to be a close second. There was a time when Malaysia only produced durian in small-scale farms and orchards. Now, however, the Malaysian government encourages durian plantation. Their plan is to increase durian export by 50% in 2030.
Malaysian durian industry consultant Lim Chin Khee stated that China has a huge market demand for durians, which has caused the Malaysian durian industry to change from local to global. The scale of plantation is growing. Chinese consumers pay good money for Malaysian "Musang King" durian. The price of this durian variety increased threefold in the last 5 years. "Musang King" dominates the Malaysian durian industry.
United Nations Global Trade data shows that China's durian import volume increased by 15% last year and reached 350 thousand tons with a value of 510 million USD. Malaysia provides 40% of that volume. The Malaysian Ministry of Agriculture indicated that there is more than normal interest in durian plantation. It is treated as agricultural "gold". The overall surface area devoted to durian plantation in Malaysia reached 4,800 hectares last year and expanded even further this year. Many farmers are changing their crops to durian cultivation
Source: CRI Online
