RAUB: A total of 360 unlicensed durian farmers here submitted their names to register with the Royal Pahang Durian Resources Sdn Bhd before the June 15 deadline set by the company for its “legalization scheme.”

Royal Pahang Durian executive director Steven Mun Yung Kwun said the names would be submitted to the Pahang state government for processing.

It was reported that unlicensed durian farmers have been planting Musang King durians on state land without titles and forest reserve for years.

A company called Royal Pahang Durian Resources was granted lease over the disputed land by Pahang state government and offered to lease the land back to farmers for a fee, on condition they sell their fruit to the company at a fixed price below market rate.

After a five-year battle with Royal Pahang Durian Resources since 2020, the Save Musang King Alliance (Samka) representing unlicensed durian farmers in Raub, is now considering a shift in its stance to consider an out-of-court settlement with Royal Pahang Durian resources, making a strategic shift.

Samka claims it is now facing fresh threats from a recently established company allegedly targeting control over as much as 2,428 hectares of unlicensed durian farms.

It was reported on May 29 that Samka is considering an out-of-court settlement with Royal Pahang Durian Resources (RPD) to redirect its resources against a new company accused of taking over farmland.

In 2020, durian farmers were invited to enter a partnership with Royal Pahang Durian Resources PKPP Sdn Bhd—a joint venture between the Royal Pahang Durian Group and Perbadanan Kemajuan Pertanian Negeri Pahang.

In August 2020, around 200 durian planters in Raub filed for a judicial review at the Kuantan High Court to challenge a Pahang government order requiring them to vacate their farms.

They named six respondents in the application—Raub District Land Administrator, Pahang Forestry Director, the state authorities, Pahang state government, Pahang State Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPP), and Royal Pahang Durian Resources PKPP Sdn Bhd.

However, on July 19 last year, a Court of Appeal panel dismissed the farmers’ application for access to their orchards to maintain and cultivate the trees while awaiting the outcome of their appeal against the eviction order.

Samka had been negotiating with RPD to meet farmers’ demand and “meaningful progress” was made after five years of resistance by Musang King durian farmers in Raub.

It was reported that accompanied by Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, Pahang sultan Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah drove to Raub where the illegal durian farms were located on May 8.

The sultan also met with officers from the Raub Land and District Office to discuss the encroachment on 10,521 hectares of land in the district which had been going on for some time.

The authorities, in an enforcement operation called Op Sekat 3.0, from Apr 8 to May 3, felled durian trees on 202.34 ha of illegal farms, an area roughly the size of 283 football field.

It was reported that the sultan expressed shock at the scale of the land encroachment—estimated at 10,521 ha, or 14,700 football fields.

The sultan emphasized that state land must not be arbitrarily encroached upon, and called for firm action against those involved.

He also called for an amicable resolution, with all shortcomings addressed in a harmonious manner.