Malaysia committed to export durian to China

DURIAN could well be called "the king of fruit" because of the price of its high-quality grades.

The types of durian in Malaysia include Musang King, D24, Tekka, Red Prawn, Black Thorn, IOI and XO. Durian has gained appeal in southern and eastern China partly because of its high nutritional value and widespread popularity of its derivatives, such as ice cream, cakes, snacks and dumplings.

Durian is now China’s number one fruit import and Malaysia's Musang King is the most favoured variety there.

Most Musang King durians in the world are grown in Raub, Pahang because the region's soil and climate are ideal for their cultivation.

Musang King definitely lives up to its name with its unique taste and fragrance. The rich flavour and vivid yellow-brown colour of this variety are the likely causes of its enormous popularity.

The creamy flesh of the fruit has a lingering bittersweet flavour. It distinguishes itself from regular durians due to the way its husk looks.

In the past five years, China's demand for durian has increased by 597,100 metric tonnes.

The market for durian is expected to grow, especially for Malaysian produce which has already made a name for itself in Guangdong in preparation for distribution in wholesale markets.

Malaysia has successfully seized the opportunity by becoming the second-largest exporter of durian to China after Thailand.

Malaysia is always committed to producing durian yields of high quality.

In addition, the high value of the market encourages Malaysian producers to plan production and harvesting properly.

The durian market was valued at US$18.72bil (RM84.2bil) in 2019 and is expected to reach US$30bil (RM134.6bil) by 2025.

Close cooperation among durian-producing countries and their target market is needed to achieve this figure by then.

This cooperation will involve global, regional and local food and beverage companies; supermarkets and restaurants; specialty stores; durian traders; as well as importers.

With the world moving towards Industry 4.0, smart farming is essential to develop the agricultural industry.

One durian farmer in Pahang has taken the initiative to adopt a smart farming system co-developed by Regaltech and Alibaba Cloud.

Regaltech, located in Kuala Lumpur, is a digital agricultural technology service company specialising in smart farming to increase production.

Since entering the Malaysian market five years ago, Alibaba Cloud has assisted more local companies with digital transformation using Chinese technology.

Regaltech collaborated with Alibaba Cloud to develop a cloud-based innovative platform for durian plantations, benefitting farmers.

In general, a smart farming system will help farmers monitor the plants' condition without physically visiting the orchard.

This system facilitates work by using sensor nodes at the orchard and analysing information from the cloud, including electrical conductivity, pH, soil moisture, weather and irrigation schedules.

It helps offer expert advice to durian growers.

Malaysia is situated in a unique geographical location, viable for durian plantations. China has a high demand for Malaysian durian, especially Musang King, and is always ready to buy more tropical fruit from Malaysia.

In efforts to increase production to satisfy market demand, it was found that conventional fertigation (the insertion of fertilisers into an irrigation system) techniques somehow inhibited durian farmers from increasing their supply.

However, with Alibaba Cloud, Malaysian farmers have found that it helps lessen their load, particularly in terms of output enhancement. With the aid of the intelligent fertigation system, farmers can now quickly optimise their output efficiently as less cost and time are needed for the farming operation.

Smart farming may inspire farmers today to embrace sustainable farming practices due to the limited cost, time, energy and personnel needed for farming activities.

Durian plantations appear to be a wise investment due to the rising demand for the fruit.

Durian Capital Berhad, recognised as Malaysia's first licensed durian investment company, was established to democratise agri-investing and transform durian into a truly global commodity.

It is governed by the Interest Scheme Act 2016 and the Companies Commission of Malaysia. This company has provided an opportunity for everyone, especially those who live outside the region where durian plantations are located, to become investors in durian farming.

As part of its adoption of smart farming, Durian Capital uses data, technology and contemporary agricultural methods to guide its land development and planting activities.

China and Malaysia have agreed on an export agreement to trade frozen whole durians to ensure the quality of the fruit is maintained.

Opening up this promising market for frozen whole durians strengthens Malaysia's position as a significant trading partner with China.

This demonstrates the close cooperation between the two countries.

The partnership of Regaltech and Alibaba Cloud has enabled expansion and facilitated limitless growth opportunities for the business.

As a result, it is seen that the economy is growing strongly, especially in the agricultural sector.

Dr Nur Syafiqah A. Samad is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Business, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan. The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.

The SEARCH Scholar Series is a social responsibility programme jointly organised by the South-East Asia Research Centre for Humanities (SEARCH) and the Centre of Business and Policy Research, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TARUC), and co-organised by the Association of Belt and Road Malaysia.