According to a report by The Associated Press on August 5, as demand for durian in the Chinese market continues to rise, durian growers in Malaysia are facing new challenges brought about by climate change. Extreme weather conditions have led to a decline in production and an increase in costs, causing many fruit farmers to worry about their ability to benefit from this export boom.
Malaysia's Penang state, Karak town, is represented by Stephen Chow of Durian Garden. He said that workers often pick ripe durians with headlights on at night. However, even so, maintaining a balance in income and expenses this year is already quite good, and there is a high chance of still facing losses.
Reports indicate that extreme weather conditions such as heavy rains and high temperatures have frequently affected the local durian cultivation in recent years. In 2021, floods damaged about 100 durian trees and some equipment in Zhou’s orchard. In the following years, continuous rainfall during the flowering period disrupted pollination, further reducing yields. From February to April this year, temperatures in some parts of Malaysia reached 33 to 35 degrees Celsius in the afternoons. Farmers had to increase irrigation and fertilization, but the rising costs of fuel and fertilizers pushed up production costs.
Meanwhile, strong demand in the Chinese market has driven Malaysia to expand the cultivation of durian trees. Data shows that Malaysia's durian cultivation area reached 92,100 hectares in 2024, a nearly 40% increase from 2016. During the same period, the yield increased by nearly 90%, reaching 568,800 tons. Since 2019, China has started importing frozen whole durian fruits from Malaysia. In 2024, the import of fresh durian will be further expanded, driving the local industry to expand.
However, Malaysia still lags behind Thailand and Vietnam in the Chinese market. Local fruit farmers focus on high-end varieties such as “Katong Wang” and “Black Spines”, and emphasize only picking naturally ripe fruits to distinguish themselves from some competitors.
Facing climate risks, some growers have begun to introduce technical measures. For example, fruit farmers in Penang use sensors to monitor rainfall, humidity, wind speed, and soil conditions, so as to adjust their planting strategies in advance. Industry experts say that the competition in the durian industry in the future will depend not only on market demand but also on the ability of fruit farmers to cope with climate change.
