Coronavirus: Malaysian durian sellers count the cost as demand in China falls away
- ‘Chinese distributors stocked up on durians in preparation for the Lunar New Year celebrations, but now they can’t sell them,’ head of exporters association says
- However, the drop in exports to China will be welcomed by Malaysians as the oversupply of the thorny fruit is set to bring down prices
Malaysian Durian Exporters Association president Sam Tan said China had imported large amounts of durian in time for the Lunar New Year period but the novel coronavirus epidemic led to a sharp drop in purchases.
“Chinese distributors stocked up on durians in preparation for the Lunar New Year celebrations, but now they can’t sell them,” he said. “I am worried that we’ll get drastically reduced orders or cancellations for the next batch. We will only know for sure once the spring holiday period is over.
“Nobody expected that as soon as we entered the Year of the Rat, this [outbreak] would happen, many exporters anticipated more orders during the spring holidays and that they’ll continue to receive orders in the coming months.”
Top Fruits managing director Tan Sue Sian said that due to China extending their holiday period in response to the epidemic, the effect on orders would become clear this week. He said durians were generally off-season after the spring holidays until June.