KUALA LUMPUR: The Musang King durian is uniquely Malaysian and other countries cannot market their produce under the same name, says Mohamed Sabu.
The Agriculture and Food Security Minister, popularly known as Mat Sabu, said this is because Musang King is protected under Malaysia’s Geographical Indication (GI) registration.
“Musang King belongs to Malaysia. Other countries cannot call their durians Musang King.
“They may look similar, but we all know the taste is different,” he said during Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (Feb 25).
He was responding to a question from Ngeh Koo Ham, who asked whether the government was aware of durians from Thailand and Vietnam entering Malaysia before being exported to China, as well as of durians sold directly to China that were labelled as Musang King.
Ngeh also asked what steps were being taken to ensure that Malaysia’s durian industry's reputation is not affected.
In reply, Mat Sabu said Malaysia is in ongoing discussions with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) to safeguard Malaysian Musang King exports.
He added that the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) ensures Musang King durians carry official FAMA and MyBest labels.
“Whenever I visit China, whether on official business or privately, I make it a point to observe the durians there.
“Sometimes they are labelled as Musang King, but the taste is clearly not the same. That is why our authorities will continue engaging the GACC,” he said.
Mat Sabu also stressed the importance of educating Chinese consumers that only GACC-approved Musang King durians bearing the MyBest stamp are authentic Malaysian exports.
“We must defend this brand. Our durian exports to China are high-value and provide an important new income stream for local farmers,” he said.
