BEIJING, Aug 26 — Fresh Malaysian durian will be on sale at selected retail outlets in six China provinces — Beijing, Zhengzhou, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Nanning — from today.
Malaysia’s Ambassador to China Datuk Norman Muhamad said the process of exporting fresh durian has begun following approval from the General Administration of Customs China (GACC) on June 19.
“I’m also proud to announce that fresh durian are available in Chinese markets from today. The durian comply with the strict phytosanitary measures set by GACC to ensure they remain fresh and meets food safety standards,” he said during a speech at the Taste Of Malaysia 2024 programme launch at a supermarket here, which was attended by Malaysian Deputy Ambassador to China Norfarina Mohd Azmee.
He added that Malaysia had previously only exported durian as frozen whole fruit and pulp, paste and as agrofood products.
On the Taste Of Malaysia 2024 programme, Norman said it is held for 10 days from August 23 to September 1 and aims to promote high-quality Malaysian products in China.
“Throughout the programme, various Malaysian products will be highlighted, including durian, Old Town White Coffee, Sabah traditional snacks, amplang, light food and cooking pastes,” he told the media after the launch, adding that they hoped to bring more Malaysian products to China.
“We are making plans together with various agencies and Matrade (Malaysia External Trade Development) here. We will look at what we can bring over.
“China has a very huge market and it’s rather sophisticated now, so we will continue to look for suitable products,” he added.
National durian exports from 2018 to 2022 were encouraging, and had increased by 256.3 per cent or RM822.8 million, and that Malaysian durian exports globally had hit RM1.14 billion, the highest ever, in 2022.
— Bernama
