Malaysia exports fresh durian to China for first time

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Malaysia eyes bigger slice of market in China as fresh durian shipments take off

Malaysia Correspondent
Updated Aug 25, 2024, 12:27 AM

Malaysia sent its first shipment of fresh durian to China on Aug 24. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN

SEPANG/BENTONG, Malaysia – Malaysia sent its first shipment of fresh durians to China on Aug 24 amid great fanfare, two months after the countries signed a deal to expand their trade in the king of fruits from just durian products and frozen whole durians.

40 tonnes of fresh durians, including varieties such as Musang King, Black Thorn, D24, and IOI, from eight exporting companies will be shipped to China in three phases.

Malaysia is hoping to see booming demand for its durians in China now that it has been given a slice of the multibillion-dollar market in the world’s second-largest economy, which now buys fresh durians from its neighbours Thailand and Vietnam.

China’s summer durian market heats up as Thailand, Vietnam vie for top spot​

• Published: 5:00am, 21 Aug 2024
  

Durian imports from Thailand were valued at nearly US$2.67 billion according to Chinese customs data, representing a 75 per cent share of all inbound shipments of the fruit – a marked improvement from the 42.5 per cent registered in the first quarter of 2024, and a quarter-on-quarter increase of US$2.5 billion. The country’s share of China’s durian imports for the whole of 2023, meanwhile, was 68 per cent.

Thailand’s chief competitor, Vietnam, claimed all but a trickle of the remaining shipments over the second quarter. Vietnamese durians sometimes sell for less than their Thai peers in China as shipping costs are defrayed by the use of a land border.

However, Chinese authorities had cut off 33 Vietnamese durian export sources in June over quality concerns.

Vietnam’s quick growth in exports of fresh durian since 2022 – before which Thailand had a functional monopoly – may have prompted growers to pursue shipment volume at the expense of quality, analysts said.

China is the world’s biggest buyer of durians by a long shot, importing 1.4 million tonnes in 2023. Dubbed “king of fruits” by many consumers, it is treated as a delicacy and has even been given as a gift to celebrate special occasions such as weddings.

 

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Malaysian Musang King durians being sold at $105 per fruit in China

Updated Aug 29, 2024, 05:51 PM

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu said in China, fresh durians from Malaysia are considered premium and are more expensive than durians imported from Thailand and the Philippines. PHOTO: MOHAMAD SABU/FACEBOOK

PETALING JAYA – Musang King durians from Malaysia are being sold at RM350 (S$105) per fruit in China, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu.

“This is what I saw during my visit to Shenzhen, China. All the durians were sold off within a couple of hours,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Aug 26.

Datuk Seri Mohamad was visiting Joy Ming Mau, a fresh durian packaging and distribution warehouse company in Shenzhen.

“It took two days for the Malaysian fresh durians to be distributed to sales outlets in Shenzhen.

“The demand for Musang King is high, and I understand Chinese durian importers are looking into bringing other types of durians, such as durian kampung, to the Chinese market,” he said.

In another post on Aug 28, Mr Mohamad wrote that in China, fresh durians from Malaysia are considered premium and are more expensive than durians imported from Thailand and the Philippines.

“God willing, the ministry’s target of exporting fresh durians at the value of RM1.8 billion by the year 2030 can be achieved,” he said.

Forty tonnes of fresh durians, including varieties such as Musang King, Black Thorn, D24 and IOI, from eight exporting companies are being shipped to China in three phases.

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