Kelantan to build cold rooms for storing export Musang King
23 Dec 2020
The Kelantan government, in collaboration with the state Agriculture Department, will build two cold rooms, costing RM1 million, to store Musang King durian for export early next year.
State Agriculture, Agro-based Industry, Biotechnology, Green Technology and Environment Committee chairman Tuan Mohd Saripudin Tuan Ismail said that he was looking for suitable sites for the project, especially in areas with the most durian yields such as Tanah Merah and Jeli.
“Previously, the Musang King variety in Tanah Merah became a pioneer of quality durian but the fruit had to be sent to Raub, Pahang as we lacked a collection point.
“Hence, these high-tech cold rooms will be provided from the beginning of next year to facilitate the export of durian abroad, especially to China,” he said.
He said this to reporters after attending the graduation and closing ceremony of the Farmer’s & Field School (FFS) durian grafting programme at the state Agriculture Office here, today. It was also attended by its director Norbahani Zakaria.
Tuan Mohd Saripudin said that the durian stored in cold rooms could last for two months, thus the king of fruits could be marketed throughout the season.
“By having these cold rooms, we can also avoid dumping the fruit in the market, apart from controlling the ceiling prices and becoming a collection centre as well as helping growers to grow the economy in this field,” he said.
He said that in Kelantan there were 8,000 hectares of land planted with durian crops, including Musang King and other high quality durian varieties such as 101, D24 and Black Thorn.
“There are over 10,000 durian growers cultivating Musang King. We also provide electric fences, solar techniques and nets to prevent wild animals from encroaching into the area.
“The state government will also help durian growers who face the threat of wild animals such as wild boar, elephants and monkeys that damage their crops, through the cooperation of enforcement agencies including the state Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan),” he added.
Source: Bernama
