Avocado cultivation in Malaysia's Sabah is expected to require a few more years before meeting market demand. According to the Sabah Durian and Fisheries Tropical Fruit Planters Association (MaSDA), current plantings among its members cover about 330 hectares.
"Each hectare yields between 4 and 10 tons in the first three years. Maybe we can produce around 1,000 tons per season next year from our members," said Gerard Baxter, an avocado grower from Tenom, during the launch of the local QAV1 (Quoin) avocado variety by Deputy Chief Minister I and Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.
MaSDA, which has more than 170 members across Sabah, held the launch in conjunction with the 2025 National Farmers, Breeders and Fishermen Day (HPPNK) at the Sabah International Convention Centre. Baxter added that, depending on farm size, some growers may reach yields of up to 10 tons per season and that members have also undertaken overseas educational tours to improve yields.
MaSDA president Duane Evans said the association is collaborating with the Agriculture Department to develop the fruit industry in the state. "The department provides us with programmes that we then share with our members, who also act as mentors to smallholder farmers in their respective localities. That is how we expand agricultural programmes and push further initiatives such as Malaysia Good Agriculture Practices (MyGAP)," he said.
Evans added that farmers are aiming to produce fruit year-round to avoid seasonal interruptions such as those seen with durian during extreme weather events. "Durian season should ideally begin towards the end of the year. To address these challenges, we have studied how farmers in places like Thailand deal with similar issues. We then bring that technology back here to trial it, intending to eventually achieve at least two strong durian seasons per year," he said.
Source: Daily Express
