PETALING JAYA: Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu has explained that the focus on exporting durians to China is due to its population’s love for the fruit.
Mohamad said this is different from other regions like the Middle East and Europe, where durians are not favoured.
“Why focus on China? Because the Chinese eat durians. Arab countries do not eat durians yet.
In fact, they cannot even tolerate the smell.
He explained that it is similar to Europe, adding while there are some Europeans who work in embassies here and eat durians, but generally, are not interested in eating durians.
“China consumes durians on a large scale. They have hundreds of millions of people who can afford to spend.
“That’s why if we were to export to other countries, there would be a market, but not like China,“ he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Mohamad’s answer was in response to the question from Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (PN-Kubang Kerian) on why Malaysia is not exploring markets outside of China to promote durians.
He added that Malaysia will continue to strive to market its products worldwide.
“As for fish, there are many places we can export to where they need fish. There is still a high demand for pineapples, and we are not able to meet the international demand sufficiently.
“But for durians, China is indeed the focus. Imagine, if 10 per cent of their population eats durians, no matter how much we plant here, it still might not be enough for us to trade with China,“ he said.
