KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia pays close attention to market in China as Chinese nationals love durians the most, says Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu.

Compared with other countries, Chinese nationals love the King of Fruits the most, he said when replying to a question by Kubang Kerian MP Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man at Dewan Rakyat Monday.

Tuan Ibrahim was asking whether Malaysia was looking at exporting durians to other countries apart from China.

“Why are we focusing on China? Because the Chinese nationals love durians. The Arabs can’t accept the smell and they are not enjoying the fruit yet. The same for Europeans,’’ Mat Sabu said.

Although the European ambassadors in Malaysia tasted durians, generally, Europeans do not enjoy the fruit, he said.

“Up to a million of Chinese in China love durians. Although durians are also sold in other countries, they are not as big as the market in China. Hence, we are paying close attention to China,’’ he explained.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security predicts that fresh durians will be exported to China in the third quarter of this year.

The ministry signed the Protocol on Phytosanitary Requirements for the Export of Fresh Durians with China during Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s visit to Malaysia last month.

Prior to this, Malaysia exported only frozen durians to the country.