Durian farmers in the Raub district (Pahang state), home of the Musang King, are reaping the harvest of their famous crop almost year round now. This is thanks to new technology and China’s new policy allowing the import of the whole fruit.
The durian season started just several weeks ago, and most states such as Johor and Penang distribute them across the country and export some to Singapore, but players in Raub are now eyeing the giant market in mainland China.
With reports of an oversupply causing prices to drop regionally, farmers now have the option of freezing and storing the fruit to be sold later or export them to the ever-hungry China where demand is still high.
Lai, who also owns a durian processing factory, said that since China has allowed Malaysia to export whole durians, demand has rocketed. The process of exporting is so much easier and less time-sensitive now that durian factories can freeze the fruit in liquid nitrogen, allowing it to be kept for up to two years, while maintaining its freshness.
To do this, freshly harvest durians must be frozen within hours of their harvest, and then they can be stored whenever the time is right, and not be at the mercy of market fluctuations.
According to the United Nations International Trade Statistics Database or UN Comtrade, Malaysia exported 16.6 million kg of durians to Singapore in 2016 and 13 million kg in 2017. It exported 367,908 kg of durians to China in 2016, but this fell to 73,823 kg in 2017.
Source: malaymail.com
