Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Malaysian durian traders are concerned about logistical complications when it comes to exporting fresh durian to China, given the fruit’s short shelf-life of three days, as planters in Malaysia customarily wait for durians to fully ripen before harvesting.
Malaysia - the world’s second-biggest durian exporter after Thailand - was previously allowed to ship only the whole frozen fruit and other durian-based products to China.
However, after Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Malaysia from June 18-20, it can export fresh durian to China.
Anna Teo, director of Malaysian exporting company Hernan Corp, said the industry must overcome logistical challenges before it can fully tap the Chinese market.
She said that air cargo will take at least 36 hours, so exporters have to find a way to slow down the process of fermentation before the durian arrives at the customers’ doorstep.
In the near future, they are not positive about big export volumes of fresh durian to China as they have to move from shipping frozen durian to fresh one, she added./.
