Why you should plant fig trees in your garden

Besides enjoying fresh fig fruits, fig leaves can also serve as a food wrap or be consumed as tea. Photos: Dr Arina Shairah Abdul Sukor

Did you know that the common fig (Ficus carica) can be planted in Malaysia? Figs, which originated in the Middle East over 11,400 years ago, are widely cultivated in different parts of the world, including Asia.

Turkiye and Egypt lead the world in terms of fresh fig production, churning out between 200,000 and 262,000 metric tonnes per year. But Malaysia’s tropical climate is advantageous because it is suitable for producing figs all year round instead of just during the summer.