Raub durian farmers need to unite to enter export market

RAUB - Durian farmers in Raub need to pull together to develop the durian industry and turn themselves into high-performing durian exporters.

Royal Pahang Durian Group (RPDG) deputy chairman Datuk Albert Chang Si Fock said they needed to do this soon as the growing durian market in China required a consistent supply of high quality.

"Royal Pahang Durian Resources (RPDR) together with the Pahang Agricultural Development Corporation, are working on mobilising and structuring the fragmented durian farming industry in Raub to turn it into a holistic and systematic venture... so we believe by working together we consolidate, we have a bigger voice," he told reporters after visiting the 404.68 hectares (1,000 acre) RPDG farm with 26,000 durian trees, mostly of the Musang King variety, here today.

He said currently around 200 farmers have stated their intention to join RPDG and he hoped more would do so to enable the durians to be exported under one label.

"We will buy their durians and market them, as long as it’s from Raub it will have its fans and be of good quality,” he said.

According to Agricultural Department statistics, there are 9,755 hectares of durian farms in Raub in 2022, 13 per cent of the total coverage for durian in Malaysia, which is 76,895 hectares.

Chang also said that Malaysia was facing competition from other durian exporters, including Thailand, which has also exported Musang King durians to China, as well as Hainan Island in China, which is developing its own Musang King variety.

He was optimistic that the durians in Raub were of different quality and would manage to retain its own fanbase. - BERNAMA