KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia marked a historic moment in its agricultural export sector this week as the first shipment of fresh durians arrived in China, significantly impacting the Chinese market.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu shared updates on this milestone through a series of Facebook posts highlighting the journey and success of Malaysian durians entering the Chinese market.
On Aug 24, Mohamad posted photos on Facebook as he witnessed the export process at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), where the first batch of durians was prepared for export.
“This first shipment opens a new market space for fresh Malaysian durians in China,” he wrote, optimism that this development would significantly boost the local durian farming industry and provide opportunities for over 63,000 durian farmers nationwide.
“I hope this fresh durian export to China will drive the growth of our durian industry and create more job opportunities and income for farmers and entrepreneurs,” he said.
On August 25, the minister shared photos on Facebook of Henan Province, China, where he attended the historic arrival of the first shipment of fresh durians from Malaysia at Zhengzhou Cargo Airport.
“It is expected that Malaysia’s durian export value will exceed RM1.8 billion by 2030,” he said.
The following day, August 26, Mohamad shared photos of him visiting Shenzhen to observe the packaging and distribution process at the warehouse of Joy Wing Mau, a company responsible for distributing fresh Malaysian durians in China.
He noted that the distribution time from Malaysia to sales outlets in Shenzhen took only two days, reflecting the efficiency of the export process.
He said the Malaysian Musang King durians were priced at around RM350 each and in high demand during his visit to supermarkets in Shenzhen.
“Only within a few hours, all the stocks were sold out,” he said in the Facebook publication.
He also highlighted the premium positioning of Malaysian durians in the Chinese market, which are sold at significantly higher prices than durians imported from Thailand and the Philippines.
The minister’s updates were accompanied by photos documenting the various stages of the export process, including the departure of durians from Malaysia, their arrival in China, and the enthusiasm of Chinese consumers for the Malaysian fruit.
