Malaysia’s durian price will be rising due to a 60% reduction in production.
Due to a 60% drop in production this year, durian growers in the country have warned consumers that they will have to pay extra for the fruit.
They cited two reasons for the increase in pricing, according to The Malaysian Insight (TMI): the high cost of fertilisers due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the closure of the Shanghai port due to the month-long citywide lockdown, which has harmed exports.
Heavy rain also harmed durian crops, which are generally harvested in May, according to the growers.
According to them, this resulted in a 60 to 80 percent drop in Musang King and Black Thorn types in Penang, Johor, and Pahang.
Due to the bad weather, an orchard that can produce 10 tonnes of durians per season may only harvest two tonnes this year, according to Heng Mee Oo, owner of Orcheeking Enterprise.
According to Heng, a Black Thorn now costs RM100 per kilogramme, up from RM75 to RM80 per kilogramme previously.
High operating costs, labour shortages, ballooning transportation costs, and rising fuel and fertiliser prices, he added, have driven prices even higher.
Musang King costs between RM800 and RM900 each box, while Black Thorn costs RM1,200.
Malaysian durian exports have increased by 107 percent, or RM74.8 million, since 2016.
Malaysia exported RM69.9 million worth of durians in 2016, RM59 million in 2017, RM125 million in 2018, RM127 million in 2019, and RM145 million in 2020.
Meanwhile, Top Fruits managing director Tan Sue Sian predicted that frozen durian exports will be 50% lower this year than last.
Despite the increasing demand from China, he said manufacturing had reduced.
Tan believes the moment has come to experiment with novel farming methods and lessen farmers’ reliance on labour and fertilisers.
The zero-Covid plan has proven difficult in China, according to Eric Chan, managing director of Dulai Fruits Enterprise, because there is a lot of uncertainty, especially when it comes to logistics.
Due to the Shanghai port closure, he anticipates the company’s sales to drop by 30% this year.
Transport costs have skyrocketed, and Shanghai’s primary fruit distribution centre and largest wholesale fruit market have closed.
