Malaysia’s exports of the fruit have expanded rapidly over the last decade or so, particularly to China, where its prized Musang King is regarded as a premium product and often dubbed the “Hermès of durians.”
That spurred many farmers to flock to the industry, sending the Southeast Asian country’s durian plantation area soaring from just over 163,000 acres in 2016 to more than 227,000 acres by 2024, while annual output nearly doubled to over 568,000 tons over the same period, according to government data cited by The New York Times.
“Back then, a lot of people cut down their rubber trees or oil palms to grow durians. A lot of the trees [planted then] are now starting to bear fruit,” Lu Yuee Thing, the owner of several durian farms near Raub, a town dubbed Malaysia’s durian capital, told BBC.
The surge in production has now tipped the market into oversupply amid overlapping harvests in producing states like Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Johor and Pahang. Prices have subsequently collapsed, with Musang King retailing for as little as RM9 (US$2.2) per kilogram, down 90% from the usual RM90-100.
The country’s Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) told Nikkei Asia: “Production growth has outpaced the growth in domestic demand and the market’s capacity to absorb the supply at the same time.
“In such a situation, farm-gate prices inevitably come under pressure when supply exceeds demand.”
The situation is further compounded by fruit that fails to meet export standards and is redirected to the local market.
The glut is a boon for bargain hunters across Malaysia and neighboring Singapore, where durians are being sold at steep discounts and, in some cases, handed out for free.
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Durians are displayed at a stall in Jalan Alor Night Market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia March 17, 2026. Photo by Reuters |
But growers are reeling. Han Sing Keng, a durian farmer and seller in Johor, said he has to rely on other crops, including bananas, to offset the lost profits from durian.
“The market pressure is too high for me,” he told BBC, adding that the cheap fruit flooding the market may be of inferior quality. “The name is still Musang King, but the quality is not up to standard.”
The challenge at hand
To help out farmers, FAMA has stepped in to purchase durians directly from them. The agency said it aims to buy 1,000 tons worth RM7 million through 42 operational centers, while businesses and entrepreneurs it supports have acquired another 1,199 tons valued at RM3.28 million.
The challenge now is to ensure demand keeps pace with rising production by expanding into new export markets and creating new businesses in the domestic market.
FAMA is processing surplus fruit into pulp, which is then supplied to manufacturers of cakes, ice cream and other food products.
Its director-general Abdul Rashid Bahri said last year that the agency was looking to expand exports beyond China to markets such as the UK, Canada, the UAE, Australia and the Netherlands, according to The Star.
Efforts are also being made to boost exports to China. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in a recent campaign stop that he plans to raise the issue of falling durian prices with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during his visit to China next month.
“China’s standards are very high, but I will try to negotiate,” he said, as quoted by the South China Morning Post. “I will ask him to buy a bit more, then the price will go up.”
Malaysia, one of the world’s leading durian exporters, is also collaborating with Thailand and Chinese customs authorities to develop a land transport route for durian shipments to China, a move expected to reduce logistics costs.
Mohamad Sabu, Malaysia’s minister for Agriculture and Food Security, said the route will also help exporters reach several smaller Chinese cities with populations of around two million people each, according to national news agency Bernama.
China’s appetite has remained robust since it approved imports of fresh whole durians from Malaysia in 2024. During the first five months of 2026, Malaysia sent 11,803 metric tons of durians to that market, nearly four times the 3,029 tons shipped a year earlier.
Looking ahead, Malaysia’s trade promotion agency, Matrade, in Beijing said on Saturday that it aims to raise durian exports to China to $229 million by 2030.
Sourcee.vnexpress.net
