Durian Growers Urged To Explore Value-added Products To Expand Market
SUNGAI SIPUT, July 3 (Bernama) -- Durian growers are urged to be creative in producing value-added products such as tempoyak (fermented durian) and durian paste to help address the oversupply of the ‘king of fruits’ during peak seasons.
State Rural Development, Plantation, Agriculture and Food Industry Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Zolkafly Harun said growers should not rely solely on selling fresh fruit, as there are various market opportunities that can be explored through durian-based products.
He said the government, through the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), is also helping to strengthen durian marketing by providing 90 sales centres nationwide and setting a price of RM2.70 per kilogramme for durian kampung to reduce growers’ losses in the event of oversupply.
“If growers take the initiative and are creative in producing durian-based products, we can market durian in various forms.
“Besides being sold fresh, durian can be processed into paste for export markets, while tempoyak also has strong demand, especially outside the durian season,” he said when met after a walkabout at Jelajah Sejahtera Agro @ DUN Lintang programme at Arena Sungai Siput here today.
Mohd Zolkafly said among areas with durian processing centres are Batu Kurau, Taiping and Chui Chak in Langkap, enabling growers to send their produce directly to operators for processing and marketing.
He said the durian season occurring simultaneously across all states could indeed lead to excess supply, but the situation could be mitigated through efforts to diversify marketing channels and processing activities.
“FAMA officers at the district level are in close contact with growers to help market their produce, including purchasing durian kampung at RM2.70 per kilogramme if growers face difficulties selling their harvest,” he said.
He added that the durian season is now nearing its end, with harvest declining and market prices expected to gradually stabilise.
-- BERNAMA
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