Pineapple & durian exports to China could lift prices in Malaysia
"(But) I'm not worried that the prices of our durians and pineapples will go up. I'm more worried that they won't fetch a good price at all," he added.
He pointed out that durians and pineapples are not part of the staple diet of Malaysians, who will not be unduly burdened by their price rise.
"I will be very worried if the prices of basic necessities, like rice, go up. But durians and pineapples are not our basic food," Ahmad Shabery told reporters at the press conference for Livestock Malaysia 2017.
"With higher market prices, more people will be enticed to plant durians and pineapples commercially," he opined.
With the protocol signing, Malaysia is now allowed to export 12,000 tonnes of pineapples, worth RM40 million, to China annually. But currently, only frozen durians are allowed to be exported to China.
source: nst.com.my
