A stand-off between Malaysian durian farmers and authorities wanting to raze illegal plantations of the fruit, much coveted in China, escalated this week with the arrest of a lawmaker.
For weeks tensions have mounted in Pahang over control of the state’s lucrative durian trade, with allegations of orchards encroaching on government land.
The trespass claims prompted state ruler Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah to issue a rallying cry against such farms saying: “My blood boils … it is time for us to be firm against those who encroach on Pahang land.”
Malaysia’s durian exports reached 1.14 billion ringgit (US$258 million) in 2022, driven largely by global top importer, China. Exports surged last year after Malaysia signed a deal with Beijing allowing the shipment of fresh durians. Shipments were previously restricted to frozen products.
In the past week alone, authorities in the Raub district of Pahang, a key durian-growing state, have felled over 1,000 trees – many of them of the prized Musang King variety – claiming the farms were illegally established on state land.
Tensions between farmers and the authorities boiled over with the arrest of Raub MP Chow Yu Hui on Monday for obstructing enforcement officers.