Durians just as popular as iPhone X in China

Durians from Malaysia are proving to be just as popular as Apple’s new iPhone X in China, a Malaysian minister claimed.

“There are those who say that in China, there are only two things people queue for - one, when iPhone X is released, and second, when Malaysian durian is available,” said Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries Minister Ahmad Shabery Cheek.

He also denied that China’s demand for the thorny pungent fruit was the primary factor behind the high prices across the country recently.

Instead, Ahmad Shabery said that the hike in prices is due to a shortfall in durian production.

“Right now we are only producing 20, 30 percent of our normal yield,” he said.

China has developed a love for the fruit, with the Asian giant importing about 594,128 tonnes of durians last year.

It has traditionally imported durians from Thailand — the world’s top durian producing country — but in 2011, allowed Malaysian durians to be shipped in, although only in frozen pulp form, a move that Prime Minister Najib Razak took credit for.

Durian producers have welcomed the spike in Chinese demand although the public has complained about rising prices