Could China’s durian-farming ambitions end up testing Thai and Malaysian market dominance?
- Hainan’s first durian harvest is expected to send 2,450 tonnes of the pungent fruit to market next month
- China imported more than 824,000 tonnes of fresh durians last year, four times more than in 2017
Malaysian durian expert Lim Chin Khee visits China every two months to help farmers grow the pungent tropical fruit.
Among the advice that the founder of the Durian Academy, near Kuala Lumpur, dispenses to growers of plantations larger than 404 hectares (1,000 acres) is to avoid wasting water and fertiliser.
Malaysia, meanwhile, exports high-end frozen durians from smaller farms to China, a rapidly expanding tropical fruit market for much of Southeast Asia.
Lim’s willingness to help growers in China is a sign of Malaysia’s confidence – and that of other countries in Southeast Asia – that the Chinese tropical fruit crop will not replace imports any time soon.
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Malaysian durian plantation goes hi-tech to maximise production
But Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam are monitoring China’s long-term progress just in case it becomes a major rival.