More durians heading for China with new deals, says PLS Plantations

KUALA LUMPUR: PLS Plantation Bhd's joint venture with Shanghai-based Greenland Group has signed deals with four Chinese fruit distributors to sell its durian products and expand its export business.

The four Chinese fruits distributors are Shanghai Yuandi International Trading Co Ltd, Shanghai Supply Chain Management Co Ltd, Shanghai Haoyuan Food Co Ltd, and Shanghai IVC Sun Supply Chain Management Co Ltd.

PLS Plantations executive chairman Tan Sri Lim Kang Hoo is confident that with the deals, Malaysia's durians would be swiftly distributed to China.

“More importantly, this would contribute revenue to PLS Plantations' durian business division,” he said in a statement here, yesterday.

The signing ceremony was held in conjunction with “2019 Malaysia Cultural Week G-Hub -- Durian Festival” organised by the Greenland Group with PLS, at the Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub in the Qingpu District of Shanghai.

PLS and Greenland established the joint venture early this year.

Since then, it has imported many popular durian species from Malaysia, including D197 Musang King, D24 Sultan King in the form of frozen products, taking a real action to push ahead the “One Belt, One Road” initiative.

PLS Plantations, which is listed on Bursa Malaysia, is engaged in the management and operation of forest plantation and oil palm plantation.

As at March 31, 2018, PLS Plantations cultivated approximately 30,000 acres (12,000 hectares) of oil palm, with the total fresh fruit bunches production volume is estimated to double by 2020.

The group had, in early 2019, acquired Dulai Fruits Enterprise Sdn Bhd, in a move to venture into durian plantation, production, distribution and related businesses.

According to the trade data compiled by the United Nations, durian exports to China have been increasing by 35 per cent on average a year, and were worth US$1.1 billion (RM4.48 billion) in 2017, which were significantly higher than a decade ago at US$243 million (RM991.42 million).

In August last year, Malaysia's Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry signed an export protocol with China's General Administration of Customs for frozen whole fruit durians.

With the new protocol, on top of the frozen durian paste, the export of whole fruits into China is also permitted. At the moment, the export of frozen whole fruit durians is still pending approvals by the Chinese authorities.

Given that the Malaysian government has been promoting the export of frozen durian products recently, local durian planters and exporters will be seeing tremendous business opportunities. - Bernama