KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia will ship up to 4,000kg of durian of the Musang King variety to China for a festival celebrating the thorny fruit there in November.
Asean Cooperative Organisation president, Datuk Abdul Fatah Abdullah, told Utusan Malaysia that the Durian King festival in the south-western Chinese city of Nanning will run from Nov 3 to Nov 5, and feature other fruits and products too.
"Because durians have a place in the communities there (China), Malaysian and regional cooperatives must not miss this golden opportunity to export the king of fruits in large quantities," he was quoted as saying by the Malay language daily.
Malaysia's Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, is expected to launch the festival in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi region.
The rising popularity of the fruit among the Chinese in recent years has led Malaysian producers to export most of their harvest to China.
Prices in China for the prized Musang King variety have reportedly reached RM500 (S$161) per kg, while the resulting lower supply locally has also bumped up prices in Malaysia.
