THE Malaysian government has raised concerns about other marketplaces exploiting the “Musang king” durian brand, The Star reports.

Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Chan Foong Hin said buyers from Thailand were buying the fruit from Raub to sell to China under the label “Thai Musang king”.

He said this would affect the brand of the original Musang king variety of durian from Malaysia.
 
“This is a free market, I do not stop you, but I don’t encourage (it),” he said, adding that the ministry will raise the issue with the Thai embassy in Malaysia.

“We must use proper trade channels for exporting durian to ensure that local farmers do not lose out in the long run and protect the reputation and brand name of Musang king from being exploited by other markets,” he was quoted as saying.

Chan said the ministry is working on obtaining approval from China to export fresh durian fruits to the East Asian country.

China has approved 44 frozen durian processing facilities in Malaysia for imports.

Forty-one facilities are processing durian in the form of pulp and paste. Twenty are approved for exporting whole fruit.

Local traders pay RM30 for per kg of grade A Musang king, while Thai buyers pay RM34 per kg.

Raub Crop Producers Association president Nicky Koh said Thai buyers are willing to pay a higher price for durian.

Koh said the farmers do not know what the Thai buyers do with the durians they buy and whether they are reselling them as “Thai Musang king”. – June 3, 2023.