DURIAN FLY TO CHINA

While we can only dream about flying on a private jet, 20 tonnes of durians are already living that jet-setter lyfe. Durian (Durio zibethinus) are the the King of the Fruit in many Asean countries. Several varieties of the infamous fruit, including the ever-popular Musang King, were flown in an inaugural flight to Zhengzhou, the capital of the Henan province in China, yesterday. While this was the first time whole durians were flown to China, it won’t be the last. Malaysia’s special envoy to China, Tan Kok Wai, said that the government is aiming to expand the number of flights from two or three per week to daily chartered flights for the fruit. The target is to export 8,000 tons of durian a year worth about RM470 million (800 million RMB). You might ask, why is Malaysia sending so many durians to China?. Through private jet some more. No, it’s not because most people have refused to fly in a plane filled with durians. It’s because people in China wanna eat some durians!... “Less than 1 per cent of the Chinese population have tasted Musang King before and exporting the whole fruit to China will allow us to expand the market even further,” Tan Kok Wai via Malay Mail.

Don’t be fooled, even though if 1 per cent of China’s population might sound like a small number, it actually means a consumer base of about 14 million people. So, if China likes our durian, why is this chartered flight only happening now?. Well, the flight yesterday was a result of the China (Henan)-Malaysia Agriculture Supply Chain Platform aimed to promote and strengthen agricultural trade between the two countries. In fact, Malaysia only began to export whole durian fruits to China in June. Prior to that, Malaysia was only able to export durian pulp, paste, and other processed products to the country. Last year, Malaysia reportedly exported 235.62 tonnes of durian products to China. That amount only less than 2% of total durian export to China. Thailand are the largest durian exporter to China for many years with three main varieties namely Munthong, Chanee and Kanyou. 
That all folk!... Thank You!..

By,

M Anim,

Senior Agromonist,

Precint 11, Putrajaya,

WP, Malaysia.

(11 December 2019).