1st chartered flight of Malaysian durians heads to China

KUALA LUMPUR -- The first chartered flight with shipments of whole Malaysian durian left for China's central Henan province on Tuesday as Malaysian officials eye to meet the huge demand for the fruit in China.

Speaking at the launch of the shipment, Malaysia's special envoy to China Tan Kok Wai said the flight was a historic one, carrying several types of Malaysian durian, including the well-known Musang King, allowing consumers in Henan's capital of Zhengzhou to sample varieties of the tropical fruit.

"We aim to expand the number of flights from two or three per week to daily chartered flights and have a target of exporting 8,000 tons of durian a year valued at 800 million RMB," he said.

"China is a huge market. Reaching just 1 percent of the population means a base of 14 million people and China has a huge middle class with a taste for items such as upmarket fruit like durian," he said.

Tan added that interest in durian would have a spillover effect, especially in tourism arrivals, with tourists from China expressing interest in trying the fruit during their stay in Malaysia.

"Chinese tourists have expressed interest in visiting Malaysia after tasting durian and they would like to visit the orchards here to try fresh durians," he said.

Malaysia began to export whole durian fruits to China in June after being able to only export pulp, paste and other processed products to the country.