KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is in talks with Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia to establish a land transit route for fresh durian exports to China, potentially lowering transport costs and making Malaysian durians more affordable.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said negotiations and consultations with the four countries were progressing smoothly.
He said the ministry was working with the Foreign and Transport ministries to facilitate the talks.
"Land transportation is expected to take only three to four days, allowing durians to be delivered quickly and marketed in China," he said in reply to a supplementary question from Tan Kar Hing (PH-Gopeng).
Tan had asked about the progress of negotiations with the four countries to improve cross-border transport efficiency for exports, particularly durians, to China.
Mohamad said Malaysian durians were popular among Chinese consumers, but high air freight costs made the fruit more expensive in China.
He said the proposed route would involve transit arrangements through the four Asean countries, adding that negotiations could be challenging as they also exported durians to China.
"Nonetheless, we are continuing negotiations, as our market share in China is not as large as theirs," he said.
Mohamad said Malaysia initiated negotiations on July 20 to secure transit arrangements for shipments passing through the four countries before reaching China.
The government was also exploring the possibility of exporting durians by sea, although the journey would take considerably longer.
"Many durian enthusiasts in China want fresh durians. Therefore, fresh durians could be transported either by air or by rail," he said.
In response to the original question, Mohamad said 97 memorandums of understanding worth RM10.35 billion were secured during the Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture and Agro-Tourism Exhibition 2026. These included deals worth RM3.27 billion with strategic partners from China.
He said the agreements were expected to boost production and processing capacity, facilitate technology transfer and strengthen the agri-food sector's value chain.
"To ensure the MoU commitments translate into actual implementation, the ministry will undertake follow-up action with relevant agencies and industry players by facilitating investment-related issues, coordinating stakeholders and monitoring project progress through to the implementation stage," he said.
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