KUALA LUMPUR: From China to Europe and the United States, Malaysia’s durians are making their mark worldwide, with exports soaring in recent years as global appetite for the King of Fruits continues to grow.
Between 2020 and 2024, Malaysia’s durian exports to Europe surged 162%, while shipments to North America and the Middle East rose by 5.2% and 8.8% respectively, said Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.
The minister said this growth was driven by coordinated efforts to expand export markets and promote Malaysia’s premium durian varieties, particularly Musang King, which remains highly sought after internationally.
“China continues to be the main export destination, with exports valued at RM1.19bil in 2023, followed by Hong Kong (RM101mil), Singapore (RM76mil), Indonesia (RM58mil) and the United States (RM35.4mil),” he said in a written reply to Chow Yu Hui (PH–Raub) on Thursday (Oct 30).
In total, durian exports rose from RM570.8mil in 2020 to RM1.51bil in 2023 before easing slightly to RM1.18bil last year.
Malaysian durians are now exported to more than 40 countries, including Canada, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, France and Spain.
To boost exports further, the Agriculture Department is helping orchards obtain the Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices (myGAP) certification, a key requirement for export. So far, 1,933 durian farms have been certified nationwide.
Under the 12th Malaysia Plan, RM45mil has been allocated for new and replanting projects covering over 9,400ha to support long-term fruit production.
Meanwhile, the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) is developing international agro trade links with 10 overseas marketing agents and conducting trial shipments to countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the United Kingdom and Canada.
The ministry added that packaging, branding and promotional campaigns such as “Malaysia’s Best” and “Taste of Malaysia” in major overseas supermarkets have helped raise the fruit’s profile.
He said these efforts have strengthened the global competitiveness of Malaysia’s fruit industry and sustained growing demand for durians beyond traditional Asian markets.
