Malaysia farms must adapt to extreme weather, changing taste to compete for slice of China’s durian pie, industry experts say (2024)

JOHOR BAHRU: A delay in this year’s durian harvest in Malaysia due to uncertain weather conditions has some retailers - and especially exporters of the king of fruits - concerned, amid talks that Malaysia will soon be able to export fresh durians to China, the world’s largest consumer market for the fruit.

Johor Bahru-based durian retailer Tie Kian Chow told CNA that he has been anxious with how this year’s durian harvest has been delayed.

The peak durian season in Malaysia typically lasts from May until August. However, it is already mid-May, and many of the fruits in his farms in Johor have yet to ripen and fall.

“This year, the harvest is already behind schedule. I can only assume it's due to the strange weather these past few weeks,” he said.

Mr Tie, who owns the firm King Fruit, shares joint ventures with other businesses to export premium grade durians to the likes of China and Singapore.

“The weather alternates between very hot and rainy, this makes it hard for the durians to bear fruit, especially those of premium quality like Mao Shao Wang (Musang King varieties). We fear there may not be enough good durians to export,” added Mr Tie.

Malaysian durian exporters who spoke to CNA shared that this year’s peak durian harvest has been delayed, with many attributing this to uncertain extreme weather.

They also expressed concern that if the polarising weather persists, this would impact the quantity and quality of the fruits, hence adversely affecting Malaysia’s supply for the export market amid rising demand from China.

Malaysia has been exporting frozen durian products to China since 2011 and frozen whole durians since May 2019. That is set to change as the Anwar administration is set to conclude negotiations with China to ship fresh durians there by the end of 2024, reported The Business Times.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, China accounts for 95 per cent of global durian consumption.

And with the global crop set to expand by up to 10 per cent, according to statistics from forecaster Research and Markets, countries like Malaysia are vying for a big slice of the pie to be a dominant exporter of these pungent, spiky fruits.

WHY WEATHER IMPACTS EXPORTS

Over the past three weeks, many parts of Southeast Asia have been baking under high temperatures, prompting school closures as well as authorities across the region to issue health warnings amid heat-related concerns.

The months of March, April and May are typically the hottest and driest in the region, but conditions this year have been worsened by the El Nino weather phenomenon. El Nino refers to the warming of the ocean’s surface in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

In Malaysia, this spell of hot weather has been interspersed with extreme rain.

Malaysian Meteorological Department’s (MetMalaysia) director-general Muhammad Helmi Abdullah warned in end March that the country will encounter a “transition period” to mark the end of the northeast monsoon, which could see the occurrence of thunderstorms that could cause flash floods and toppling of trees.

Over the last few weeks, there have been reports of flash floods across the country, and heavy thunderstorms causing a few incidents of tree toppling in the capital city Kuala Lumpur.

One particular incident on May 7 left a person dead, after a tree fell and damaged 16 vehicles along Jalan Sultan Ismail.

Durian consultant Lim Chin Kee, who owns plantations in Raub, Pahang, told CNA that such extreme weather patterns could directly impact durian yield.

“It's possible that the yield will be much lower this year because the weather is out of sync (with the usual pattern). Heavy rain and hot weather both disrupt the process of anthesis for durian crops,” said Mr Lim, referring to the process of pollination and how it directly impacts whether the fruit ripens and falls.

“We don’t know yet how much of the export quantity and quality will be impacted but there is a high chance the abnormal weather will be disruptive,” he added.

Mr Lim explained that during the process of anthesis, the flowers will bloom for pollination, and this stage is quite critical in impacting the quality and quantity of durian yield.

He added that excess heat and rain could cause the leaves to compete with nutrients for the flowers, and this could abort the flowering process and impact the formation of fruits.

Another durian expert Mr Tommy Chong, who specialises in research and development of durians in his farm in Kulai, Johor, told CNA that the extreme weather could give rise to the phenomenon of “burnt tip” durians, which are not acceptable to Chinese importers and could hurt Malaysia’s reputation in supplying top quality durians.

Burnt tip refers to how uneven fruit ripening causes tips of durian flesh to turn dark brown, and these fruits cannot be consumed.

“The quality control in China is strict. If they detect burnt tip durians, they will not hesitate to halt shipments and if the problem persists, these sub-quality durians will be forced to be sent to other countries at a discount,” he added.

The uncertainty surrounding this year’s durian harvests comes amid the Malaysian government’s optimism that it is vying to be a key regional exporter.

In February, Deputy Minister for Agriculture and Food Security Arthur Joseph Kurup said Malaysia aims to more than double its total durian revenue from RM118.83 billion (US$25.2 billion) in 2023 to RM238.4 billion by 2033, with export set to be a key focus.

He added that total durian production is expected to grow from 455,458 metric tons produced in 2022 to 505,853 metric tons by 2025, an 11 per cent increase.

“The durian industry offers a world of opportunity for Malaysia,” he reportedly said.

However, the durian consultant Mr Lim stressed that Malaysia still has a lot of ground to make up with other exporters like Thailand and Vietnam.

He outlined that China imported 90,000 containers of durians last year, of which Thailand accounts for 60,000 and Vietnam for 20,000 containers. Other countries like Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia only account for 10 per cent of China’s durian market.

“We are already behind, and now there’s issues like unpredictable and uncertain weather to overcome,” said Mr Lim.

Mr Teoh Sock Soon - owner of Johor-based durian retailer Ah Shui Durian - told CNA that a possible poor crop yield this year could result in a spike in prices for export, and this could encourage the likes of China to look at alternative sources.

“If the supply is low, prices will go up. This is just normal market forces,” said Mr Teoh.

“Naturally, the big importers like China would look at alternatives where the fruits are offered at more competitive prices,” he added.

Mr Chong told CNA that one possible solution that durian farmers in Malaysia could adopt is to build modern farms with in-built irrigation systems so that the crops are more immune to extreme weather patterns.

He explained that most of the farms in Malaysia which export their durians are traditional and do not have any suitable infrastructure to help with irrigation and chemical fertilisation.

“From research, we know that many of the farms for example in Kelantan do not have irrigation so many of these trees died, and those that survive produced fruits with burnt tips,” said Mr Chong.

“Many of the modern farms just started out less than a decade ago so many of them have not borned abundant fruit yet, but for those who have in Raub, we can see that the results can be promising,” he added.

ADAPTING TO CHINA’S TASTE FOR BLACK THORN

Malaysia durian industry experts also told CNA that there has been a slight shift in the China market for taste of more exotic varieties of durians such as the Black Thorn type, over traditionally popular varieties like Musang King.

They said that this has forced Malaysian exporters to pivot in planting more Black Thorn trees, which will take between five to ten years to fruit.

The durian consultant Mr Lim said: “From our surveys, the new flavour that the China markets is favouring is Black Thorn, which has a sweeter taste compared to Musang King which is slightly bitter.”

“To be relevant and compete for China’s growing demand, we must be nimble to these changes in tastes and adapt quickly,” he added.

Mr Chong noted that based on data published by the agricultural ministry, Black Thorn only accounts for one per cent of Malaysia’s total durian production market while Musang King makes up 36 per cent.

Meanwhile, kampung durians, which are mostly consumed locally, account for 38 per cent of production while D24 varieties make up 11 per cent. The rest are hybrid durian clones, which make up 14 per cent of durians produced in the country.

However, Mr Chong predicted that this is likely to change since there is a change in trend in China, even though the Black Thorn varieties cost significantly more than the Musang King varieties.

At the premium grade, Black Thorns typically cost RM80 per kg in Malaysia while Musang Kings cost RM50 per kg.

“In China, the rarer the durian variety, the more attention it gets and the consumers will want a taste of it,” said Mr Chong.

However, he maintained that Malaysia must first ensure its farms are immune to extreme weather, which will likely be exacerbated in the following years due to the impact of climate change.

“Irregardless of which variety, if you cannot protect the crops from the weather, a Grade A premium fruit will only be a grade B or C, and you will not achieve the price and quality you desire,” said Mr Chong.

“The physiology of fruit you desire you will not get, and the aroma you want will not be there as well,” he added.