Analysis | As Malaysia ramps up its durian exports to China, quirky product offerings may be answer to rivalling Thailand’s dominance

As Malaysia blazes ahead to increase durian exports to China, unconventional creations such as durian pizza or durian hotpot may be the key to winning a growing market that has long been dominated by Thailand

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A durian pizza is seen at a restaurant in Shanghai, China. Photo: Reuters

Published: 11:00am, 6 May 2019Updated: 10:06pm, 6 May 2019

Malaysia’s farm sector has been abuzz in recent years about rising interest by Chinese consumers in the country’s famed durians.

The unseating of Barisan Nasional last May triggered a rethink of some belt and road mega projects, but Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s Pakatan Harapan coalition government has courted Chinese demand for palm oil and durian, as it faces friction with European Union and others seeking to eliminate deforestation-linked product imports.

While many Malaysian growers have benefited from trade in fruit via Hong Kong, it is direct access to China’s multibillion-dollar durian market that is most highly prized. In August, Malaysia signed a protocol to export whole durians to China. This will expand its export offerings beyond frozen pulp and purée, and allow it to gain greater market share in China – possibly giving Thai producers, who have long dominated the durian trade, a run for their money.

Chinese authorities have allowed the import of whole, fresh Malaysian durians this year, as long as they are frozen at -80 to -110 degrees Celsius for at least an hour, and they are stored and exported at -18 degrees or colder. This requires farm-to-port refrigeration facilities.

Such a requirement might bring relief to the current tight supply-chain situation as Malaysia’s famous ripened durians have to be taken to market within days or be wasted.

Consumers may or may not benefit on future pricing, depending on how the durian trader-processors manage their stocks, and how picky buyers react to defrosted whole fruits.

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