A spiky delicacy from Malaysia gets trade boost from China

DW (English)

Malaysia, one of the world's biggest producers of the spiky, smelly durian, is expected to profit from growing the fruit. Hopes for a boom were triggered after China has opened its market for imports of durian.

Transcript

00:00Harvesting time in Malaysia's prime durian region.

00:05It's three in the morning, the perfect hour to harvest the queen of fruits.

00:12Workers on Penang Island have only a short window before the durians begin to drop again.

00:19Tanshi Kit, the third generation manager of this farm, is ready for the rush.

00:25Time is precious for us. It's limited for us because durians don't wait.

00:30When they drop, they don't wait. They want to drop and then they drop 24 hours.

00:35And then this is unlucky. If we hit on the stones, they will wreck.

00:42Penang offers the perfect growing conditions for durian.

00:45Over 220 varieties of the prized fruit thrive in the island's salty air.

00:52Durian has become a significant attraction for tourists, especially those from China,

00:57who are drawn to its unique and varied aroma, particularly one famous variety.

01:13When Tan's family first started growing durians,

01:16no one imagined that the farm would eventually produce 20 metric tons a day,

01:21with half of that exported to China.

01:25Frozen or fresh, the Chinese are hungry for the Malaysian durian.

01:29While Malaysia only accounts for about 10% of global exports,

01:33its focus on high-quality, premium-priced durians has positioned it

01:38as a key player in the lucrative durian market.

01:42Forty years plus, I started the business.

01:46I also do now, now so good the price, because China take a lot of durians.

01:54Traceability is key for Chinese trade partners to ensure the fruit is free of disease.

02:00The farm carefully tracks which tree each durian comes from.

02:06Although property developers are eager to acquire the land,

02:10Tan remains committed to the farm.

02:32Malaysians take great pride in their durians,

02:34insisting the fruit only stinks if it's overripe or of poor quality.

02:39Tan compares tasting durian to a wine tasting,

02:42recommending beginners start with a lighter, creamier variety.

02:46Just have a bite?

02:47Just have a bite, and then this couldn't suck yet.

02:50You need to bite the whole flesh.

02:58That's nice.

02:59Yeah, a little bit creamy and then mild taste.

03:04And then the sweetness is not so strong.

03:06Tan Chee Kit has big plans for the future of the farm.

03:10He's working on breeding new varieties of durian,

03:13has planted thousands of new trees

03:15and hopes to make the farm fully organic using fruit shell remains as fertilizer.

03:21There are also plans to open the orchard to tourists

03:24who might wake up to the sound of falling fruit.

03:43For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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