Japanese boost for Malaysian durians a boon for Singapore fans

Malaysia is home to close to 90,000ha of durian farms, with Pahang's Raub district widely considered the country's durian haven. ST PHOTO: SHANNON TEOH
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

KUALA LUMPUR - The days of durian lovers’ wallets being at the mercy of the weather gods could soon be over. One of Malaysia’s largest planters is partnering a top Japanese agritech firm to not only expand its acreage, but also boost yields, quality and efficiency.

PLS Plantations will have a 51 per cent stake in the RM429 million (S$129 million) joint venture with MYFARM Inc, backed by the likes of SB Technology (formerly Softbank Technology), DCM Holdings and Tsumura & Co. MYFARM’s RM210 million investment is the largest by a Japanese firm in durians to date.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.