Malaysian Durians Hit Market Early With Low Prices

Malaysia’s recent hot and humid weather has caused some durians to ripen and reach the market earlier than usual. According to a report from Singaporean news outlet AsiaOne, Torrence Chua, who runs Top Durian Station, which has multiple durian stalls throughout Singapore, said on Feb. 27 that he was selling Musang King durians for just 10 Singapore dollars (US$7.45) per kilogram at his Jurong West stall.

Although the durian season typically begins in June, Chua explained that the fruit have been dropping from the trees daily at his farm in Johor Bahru in Malaysia. Despite the unusually early harvest and low prices, he reported that sales have remained slow because few customers are aware of the availability of the fruit.

The favorable weather conditions have also allowed durian farms in the Malaysian state of Pahang to begin harvesting in recent weeks. However, it is not yet the peak of the durian season, which typically occurs from June to August.

In recent years, the Malaysian durian sector has seen significant increases in terms of both production and exports. In 2022, the Southeast Asian country produced 455,000 metric tons of durians, a figure that is expected to rise to 506,000 metric tons by 2025. That same year, durian exports reached a total value of 1.23 billion Malaysian ringgit (US$260 million), representing a 168% increase from 2019. Projections suggest that Malaysia’s durian sector will continue to see rapid growth, with an estimated compound annual growth rate of 7.2% from 2023 to 2033.

This year, Malaysia is striving to secure China market access for its fresh durians, with hopes of achieving this by the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries in May. Recently, at the first-anniversary celebration of the Durian Manufacturer Association, a memorandum of understanding was signed to establish a dedicated charter flight route for durians from Kuala Lumpur to Zhengzhou, representing a significant step forward in preparing for fresh durian exports.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article.