Malaysia starts ‘luxury’ durian exports to China as Indonesia sniffs the market

Malaysia’s first shipment of fresh durian to the giant China market has arrived, vying for demand from eager consumers who are used to buying the spiky and pungent fruit from Thailand and Vietnam.

Deputy agriculture and food security minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup said on Saturday that exporters had begun shipping 40 tonnes of fresh durian in three phases, according to Malaysia’s national Bernama news agency.