BEIJING: A slight but distinct aroma of the King of Fruits wafted through the air within the ballroom of a hotel here as booths were set up to promote durian and its products in China.
A two-day Malaysia Durian Festival was organised in conjunction with the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) by PLS Plantations, a Malaysian public listed company, at the China World Hotel here.
There were trays of durian products on display, among them cakes, tarts, and even burgers.
Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali attended the fest today to take a look at the products showcased.
Dr Mahathir, Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Salahuddin Ayub, Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Darell Leiking, Malaysia's Special Envoy to China Tan Kok Wai, China’s Ambassador to Malaysia Bai Tian and Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah witnessed the exchange of documents between Malaysian and Chinese companies to further enhance their business relationship in durian trading.
PLS Plantations had signed a Heads of Agreement with Shanghai Greenland Group, ZTE Corporation and PTSKY from China, and FGV Holdings Bhd.
Those who posed for a photocall are Shanghai Ptsky Logistics Management Co Ltd general manager Li Jing, FGV Holdings chief investment officer Fakhrunniam Othman, PLS Plantations executive director Lee Hun Kheng, ZTE Corp (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd managing director Ge YuQiao and Greenland Holdings Corp Ltd business and trade group general manager Xue YingJie.
Last month, PLS Plantations had signed a strategic partnership agreement with Greenland, to form Greenland-PLS Joint Venture for the import, sales and marketing of durian products.
Since then, the Greenland-PLS Joint Venture had successfully imported products, mainly frozen, derived from many popular Malaysian durian species such as D197 Musang King and D24 Sultan King.
PLS Plantations, in a statement, said it was confident that durian from Malaysia would be in demand and distributed to various cities in China.
"Through our collaboration with FGV Holdings, Shanghai Greenland Group and ZTE Corporation and Shanghai PTSKY, PLS Plantations trusts that agricultural development in Malaysia will be advanced to another level and contribute to the overall economy of Malaysia," the statement added.
According to trade data compiled by the United Nations, durian exports to China have been increasing by an average of 35 per cent annually, and was estimated to be worth US$1.1 billion in 2017, significantly higher than the US$243 million a decade ago.