Soft diplomacy for durian

The writer says Malaysia is a durian proud nation and arguably the country has the best durian varieties. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star

RECOGNISING durian as Malaysia’s national fruit and declaring July 7 as National Durian Day – these were the two proposals made to the government recently.

The Durian Manufacturer Association (DMA), which serves as a communication bridge between the government and durian producers, suggested to the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry that it is only right to give durian its rightful place as the national fruit of the country.

“Durian is not just another fruit. It’s part of our national identity.

“Every Malaysian, no matter their background, has a durian story – a memory, a tradition. It’s the one thing that unites us all,” said DMA president Eric Chan.

Sounds like practical suggestions, right? But not to some others it seems.

We live in a seamless news cycle and of course news like this will be immediately picked up by the media, especially from neighbouring countries. Sometimes news on whose food taste better or where certain dance or song originate from, can unwittingly pit countries against each other. It can be an emotional issue for some, more so when the issue is politicised.

Take rendang for example, for years Malaysian and Indonesian public argued over the origin of the dish and yet both sides of the border united when a British cooking show judge criticised a Malaysian-born participant’s chicken rendang was not crispy. His comment stirred fury on social media several years back. Even Bruneians and Singaporeans got into the act to slam the judge.

When The Star reported on DMA’s durian proposals next thing we know, Indonesia protested, via their media no less.

Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan, reportedly rejected the proposal arguing that it should be Indonesia’s instead due to higher production.

“Indonesia produced almost two million tonnes of durian in 2024 and this figure far exceeds Malaysia’s,” he was quoted by Indonesian media.

No one will question his data but isn’t durian available in other Asean countries? It is baffling why anyone would question this. Can’t we just enjoy eating our Musang King, Udang Merah, D24 or Blackthorn. When the king of fruit is in season, yours truly will take that annual ride on KTMB’s ETS to Butterworth and hop into a friend’s car to where else but Balik Pulau, well known for its durian farms. Durian, though, is becoming more expensive because of the high demand overseas and when the supply is low.

Malaysia is a durian proud nation and arguably we have the best durian varieties. It was durian diplomacy that put Malaysia-Singapore ties back on track after years of roller coaster ride over several bilateral issues. Former Singaporean prime minister Lee Hsien Loong is known for his “obsession” for durian. During one of his working trips to Malaysia, one of the first things he asked about on arrival was the Musang King. And this durian “obsession” is shared by Singapore officials until now.

This year Malaysia, as Asean chair, hosted many meetings and of course durian was served to our foreign guests. At three meetings involving foreign ministers – a total of 1,000kg of durian of various varieties were transported and served for the guests. No surprise that the Chinese officials enjoyed the durians the most according to several diplomats.

“Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam also have durians. No need to bicker on matters like this.

“Maybe Indonesia can also have their national durian day,” an official joked.

Jokes and sensitivity aside, durian is big business and churning substantial revenue for Malaysia in recent years.

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu in his reply at Dewan Rakyat last month said Malaysia’s export has jumped tremendously. Durian exports to China jumped from RM570.8mil in 2020 to RM1.1176bil in 2024.

China remains our main market, followed by Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and the United States. So far more than 40 countries including Canada, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Holland, Italy, France and Spain are getting our durian.

The growing appetite for durian and export potentials are just too good to ignore that the Agriculture Department is helping orchards obtain the Malaysian Good Agricultural Pratices (myGAP) certification, a key requirement for export. So far nearly 2,000 durian farms have been certified.

Under the 12th Malaysia Plan, RM45mil has been allocated for new and replanting projects covering over 9,400ha to support long-term fruit production. The potentials are great.

Perhaps instead of claiming which country is the bigger exporter or producer may be Malaysia and Indonesia should consider working together to meet the growing global demand.

Just a few years back Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand got together to jointly submit a multinational nomination for the kebaya to Unesco as a representative and celebration of the five countries’ rich shared history.

Malaysia and Indonesia too are working together to counter bad propaganda against global palm oil industry. Indonesia is the world’s biggest producer of palm oil, while Malaysia is the world’s second-largest producer of palm oil, contributing 24% of global output and 35% of global exports in 2024.

There is no need to bicker on small things. Small mentality can kill the industry.

In present global uncertainty, trade fragmentation and political challenges, perhaps Asean countries can identify more areas of mutual interest to promote and grow together.

Soft diplomacy can be in many forms and interests but no one country should take advantage of another or countries end up being losers.

As for the DMA request, durian has stiff competition from the pineapple industry for the national fruit recognition. It has been reported that the Malaysian Pineapple Industry Board is already working towards this end.

May the best fruit win.