SERDANG, Jan 8 (Sin Chew Daily) — Durians are normally banned in hotels due to its strong smell, but not Unicorn Four Season Durian Hotel where guests are allowed to savor the King of Fruits all year.

Agriculture and food industries minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee launched the hotel which does not ban durian in a bid to boost the tourist industry and promote durian.

Agricultural products and food industry recorded 1% growth during the first quarter of 2020, Dr Rohald said, adding that the industry was unaffected by the impact of COVID-19.

All sectors including export and import were affected by the pandemic except agricultural products and food industry, he said.

Ronald said the export of durian would help drive the economy of Malaysia.

A total of 70,356 hectares of land were used for durian farming as of last year, he said, adding that Malaysia produced 405,536 metric tons of durian last year. 

The country is estimated to produce 443,000 metric tons of durian by 2030, he said.

Malaysia exported about RM33.54 million worth of frozen durian to China from May 2019 to June last year.

Besides frozen durian, local entrepreneurs are also producing durian ice-cream, durian chocolate, durian coffee, durian pancake and other innovative products.

"The ministry is exploring to tap into the potential of durian to support all sectors promoting durian," he said.

Ronald launched the Durian Farmers Club set up by Unicorn Durian Four Season Hotel. The purpose of setting up the club is to promote and expedite the growth of the durian industry.

Unicorn Four Season Durian Sdn Bhd patron Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew said the company would launch a trans-border durian products market using blockchain technology for users to trade.

Durian farmers in Gua Musang, Kelantan, or Raub, Pahang would be able to trade their products through the platform.