ALOR STAR: The Agriculture and Food Security Ministry is mulling "patenting" the Musang King durian variety at the international level so it will be known and recognised as a Malaysian agricultural product.

Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the move was necessary as Musang King was getting popular internationally, particularly in China.

"The Agriculture Department and its international trade unit will initiative the move to patent the Musang King.

"The variety must be recognised as a Malaysian product because it is getting popular, particularly in China," he said at a press conference after presenting cash aid to 2,546 padi farmers under Muda Agriculture Development Authority (Mada) affected by floods in August and September last year.

Present were Mada chairman Datuk Dr Ismail Salleh and general manager Kamarudin Dahuli. The aid handover was in conjunction with the 54th Mada anniversary.

Other international products that have protections tied to their place origin include champagne sparkling wine (which must be produced within a certain region of France) and Kobe beef (which must be produced from certain breeds of cows reared in certain areas of Japan).

Mohamad said the export of Malaysian durians was handled by industry players but the ministry oversaw quality compliance.

"We are overseeing the quality assurance to ensure that our durians are being shipped fresh," he said.

Last week, Malaysian and China inked of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to allow fresh Malaysian durian to be exported to China.

Malaysian durian paste or pulp was allowed into China in 2011, and frozen durians were allowed in 2018.

The ministry said the MoU would boost the durian industry and create opportunities for more than 63,000 durian entrepreneurs nationwide.

Malaysia exported RM1.14 billion worth of durians in 2022.

According to the ministry, China was the primary export market for Malaysian durians, with an export value of RM887 million in 2022.

https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/06/1069149/ministry-mulls-international-patent-musang-king