Farmers receive Musang King durian seedlings
The programme is ongoing depending on the availability of fund and seedlings in the local nurseries. Once I have got the fund from my ministry I will channel it to the state DOA for them to buy the seedlings and distribute them to interested growers.
KUCHING: Farmers in Lundu are the first group to receive the Musang King Durian seedlings from Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Datuk Anthony Nogeh Gumbek.
The giving away of free Musang King seedlings was one of the programmes initiated by the ministry in an effort to improve the durian supply chain in the country.
Some 80 seedlings were given away to interested durian growers at Kampung Tebaro Lundu on Thursday.
Nogeh said the seedlings that he gave away were acquired from a local nursery through the state Department of Agriculture ( DOA).
“The programme is ongoing depending on the availability of fund and seedlings in the local nurseries. Once I have got the fund from my ministry I will channel it to the state DOA for them to buy the seedlings and distribute them to interested growers,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
Nogeh, who is Mas Gading member of Parliament, said he was giving free seedlings to encourage farmers to begin planting new varieties of durian
Datuk Anthony Nogeh Gumbek, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry
and to help meet the high demand for durian paste overseas.
He said for a start he would focus on providing the seedlings to interested farmers in Lundu and Bau before expanding the programme to other parts of Sarawak.
At the same time, he also advised farmers not to do away with their old orchards.
“While I encourage farmers to plant good variety durians, I would also like to remind them that they should properly maintain their old orchards.
“You may plant the Musang King either in between the old trees or on your empty land. So don’t disturb your old durian trees,” he said.
Nogeh said he encouraged tropical fruit growers to plant Musang King because this variety has high demand abroad.
It is reported that Malaysia is exporting about 400 metric tonnes of durian paste to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore each year.
However, the supply was still far from enough.
Reports have it that the ‘ Musang King’, which was previously called ‘ Raja Kunyit’ (Tumeric King), was named after the region where it was planted - Gua Musang.
The name was changed to ‘ Musang King’ to differentiate the fruits from other farms which also produce the ‘ Raja Kunyit’.