Speaking at a durian outreach program on Saturday at Rain Tree Farm, Fahmi Zainol, chairman of Penang’s Agrotechnology, Food Security and Cooperative Development Committee, said the state is calling on farmers to register high-quality durian kampung, which refers to durians grown from unclassified seeds and not grafted.
“I’ve tasted some durian kampung that are more delicious than Or Chi but the durian farm owner didn’t want to register it,” Fahmi said, referring to the Hokkien name for the Black Thorn variety, as quoted by the Malay Mail.
Many farmers meet the requirement, which is to have a minimum of five trees of the same variety, but are reluctant to do so, he noted.
He said these local varieties could add to the growing list of registered durians in Penang, which is known for orchards that produce some of Malaysia’s best-loved durians, such as Black Thorn, Musang King, Ang Heh (Red Prawn) and, more recently, Tupai King.
Penang rolled out its tracking system, called “Track and Trace,” in June to safeguard both the authenticity and quality of durians grown in the state, according to Bloomberg.
The system, developed in collaboration with national research and development center MIMOS, tags each durian with a QR code that can be scanned to trace the fruit back to its farm of origin.
“We hope to get at least 75% of the farms to register under this system by the next durian season next year,” Fahmi said, noting that Agriculture Department officers have been reaching out to farms, especially larger ones that export the fruit, to explain how the system works.
Some 40% of Penang’s durian farms have joined the program since June.
Fahmi had earlier called on farmers to sign up for the system before the Penang Durian and Fruit Festival, which ran from late June to late July, as reported by The Star.
He said at the time that the government had proposed making the tracking system compulsory, adding that registered farmers would be given priority for government aid, promotional activities, and involvement in official programs.
Last year, Penang exported 67,203 kilograms of durians, with Musang King and Black Thorn among the top picks.
