According to the Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Market Report of the Import-Export Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade), citing Producereport.com, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia said that the export of fresh durian to China will begin in 2024.

The start of exports will coincide with the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia, scheduled to be held on May 31, 2024.

Vietnamese durian is about to compete with Malaysia in the Chinese market.

The statement came after China's General Administration of Customs and Malaysia's Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security signed a six-point agreement on exporting fresh durians to China by October 2023.

The Chinese side has expressed its willingness to speed up the risk assessment of this fruit and both sides have agreed to cooperate to promote the quarantine inspection process.

Accordingly, only fully ripe durians are exported to China to ensure the best taste for Chinese consumers. However, this may pose certain challenges in transportation due to the shorter shelf life of ripe durians.

Durian industry members and the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute are currently evaluating various modes of transport, including air and sea freight. It is estimated that durians can reach China within 48 hours of being harvested at the farm if transported by air.

Notably, considering the presence of fresh Thai and Vietnamese durians in the Chinese market, Malaysian experts also proposed creating a Malaysian durian logo to distinguish the country's Musang King durian from fruits originating from elsewhere.

In 2023, Malaysia produced 455,458 tonnes of durian, 10% of which was shipped frozen to China, Hong Kong (China) and Singapore markets. Malaysia has been exporting frozen durian products to China since 2011 and frozen whole durian since May 2019.

Will Malaysia's export of fresh durian to the Chinese market have an impact on the Vietnamese durian industry, as this market is Vietnam's main export destination in 2023?

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen - General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association - said that in 2023, durian export turnover to the Chinese market reached more than 2 billion USD. The signing of the Protocol has helped Vietnam's durian become a billion-dollar industry and achieve record growth.

“We have only exported fresh durian to the Chinese market for more than a year, but the export turnover is almost half that of Thailand, while Thailand exports both fresh and frozen durian. Therefore, there is still a lot of room for Vietnamese durian in the Chinese market,” said Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, while expecting that China will allow more imports of frozen durian from Vietnam.

Thailand used to be the sole supplier of durian to the Chinese market, but Thailand's durian market share dropped to 95% in 2022, as China imported durian from Vietnam with a market share of 5%. As of October 2023, Thailand's durian market share dropped to 70% and Vietnam's durian market share increased to 30%. And it is possible that fresh Malaysian durian will continue to divide the "pie" of the above market share.