Malaysian Musang King durians fetch premium rate in China

Malaysia's Agriculture and Food Security Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, said in a Facebook post on Monday that he observed the fruit getting snapped up at that price within a couple of hours during his visit to Joy Ming Mau, a fresh durian packaging and distribution warehouse company in Shenzen, China.

The imported Musang King durians were also sold at a supermarket in Zhengzhou on Sunday for 99 yuan ($13.95) per 500 grams, or 198 yuan ($28) per kilogram, as reported by Malaysian newspaper MySinchew.

Mohamad later wrote in another post that Malaysian fresh durians are considered premium and are more expensive than imports from Thailand and the Philippines, according to The Star, another Malaysian newspaper.

In comparison, the average import prices for products from Thailand and Vietnam, China's two largest durian suppliers, were $5.9 and $4.6 per kilogram, respectively, in the first four months of 2024, according to Chinese customs data.

Durians from the Philippines, the other country approved to ship fresh durians to China, were imported at $3.3 per kilogram.

Malaysia was only granted permission to export fresh durians to China in June under a phytosanitary protocol signed between Malaysia's Agriculture and Food Security Minister and China's Minister of the General Administration of Customs, Yu Jianhua.

Its first shipment to the world's largest durian consumer, featuring 10 varieties including Black Thorn and Musang King, arrived in Zhengzhou, the capital of central China's Henan Province, on Saturday evening, according to Xinhua News Agency.

Mohamad noted in his Monday post: "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 added that the country's durian exports might reach RM1.8 billion by 2030, the target set by its agriculture ministry.

Before fresh durians received the green light, Malaysia could only export durians as pulp, paste, and frozen whole fruit to China, its key market.

It shipped RM1.19 billion worth of durian to that country last year.

Lim Chin Khee, an adviser at the Durian Academy, which specializes in training Malaysian growers, suggested that Malaysia might prioritize quality over quantity in its exports.

"Malaysian durians are considered a luxury product, and the export volume is currently smaller and more targeted towards high-end consumers," he told the South China Morning Post.