According to the Malaysian media "Malaysia Insight" (TMI), the country's durian production is likely to fall by 60% this season, which will lead to high prices.
According to the country's durian producers, the harvest season, which was supposed to start in May, was badly affected by heavy rains, resulting in a 60-80% reduction in the production of Musang King and Blackthorn varieties in Penang, Johor and Pahang.
In addition, the high cost of fertilizers triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the month-long closure of the Shanghai port have also pushed up prices further.
According to reports, Heng Mee Oo, who owns one of the largest blackthorn durian orchards in Malaysia, said that due to bad weather, the durian orchard with a production capacity of 10 tons may only be able to harvest two tons this year.
He said that the current price of black thorns is 100 ringgits (about 152.03 yuan) per kilogram, while its previous price was 75 to 80 ringgits (about 114.02 to 121.62 yuan) per kilogram.
He also said factors such as high operating costs, labor shortages, soaring transportation costs, and rising fuel and fertilizer prices are also reasons for the further rise in durian prices.
It is reported that the current cost price of a box of Musang King is 800~900 ringgit (about 1216.24~1368.27 yuan), and the cost price of a box of black thorn is 1200 ringgit (about 1824.36 yuan).
Since 2016, Malaysian durian Exports have grown by 107% to a value of 74.8 million ringgits (about 114 million yuan).
Chen Shuxian, managing director of the country's fruit company Top Fruits, said frozen durian exports are expected to drop by 50 percent compared to last year.
Although demand from China is high, production has declined after all, he said.“I believe consumption will tend to be cautious, but durian lovers will still buy it despite the high price,” he said.
Eric Chan, managing director of Dulai Fruits, said that due to China's new crown "clearing" policy, there is a lot of uncertainty in the market, especially in terms of logistics.
He expects the company's sales to drop 30% this year due to the closure of the Shanghai port.
