KUALA LUMPUR: There are an overall 66,000 hectares of durian orchards recorded last year of which 23,700 hectares or 36 per cent were planted with Musang King varieties, said the Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ministry.
Its minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the ministry through the Agriculture Department had conducted a preliminary inventory on durian with 1.5 million durian trees.
“Singapore and China were among Malaysia's biggest durian importers in 2015 and 2016.
“Malaysia's worldwide total of durian exports in 2015 amounted to RM64.89 million and this increased to RM74.39 million in 2016.
“Of these, exports of pulp and frozen durian paste to China are RM23.52 million and RM18.02 million in 2015 and 2016 respectively. The government is currently waiting for approval from China authorities to export frozen whole durian,” he said in a reply to Senator Datuk Abdul Rahman Mat Yasin.
Rahman had asked Shabery to state the number of Musang King trees in the country and the total export of Musang King overseas.