MASkargo wants a slice of China’s durian fruit craze

MASKargo team want a slice of the durian fruit craze

MASkargo is hoping to capitalise on China’s durian fruit craze by flying the produce frozen on its Shanghai freighter flight.

Until recently the fruit could not be exported from Malaysia unless it was shipped in pulp or paste form, but this changed on May 30.

Jason Thomas, MASkargo’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “The regulation is no longer applicable and now frozen whole Malaysian durians can be flown into China. This is a great development for us in terms of expanding our business.

“The boom in durian export follows the deregulation by China which now allows whole durians from Malaysia to be imported. The fruits are a big hit in China and we are happy to be part of this demand. From the acceptance at our Perishable centre, these fruits are kept fresh in our cold rooms before being shipped in the temperature-controlled Envirotainers.”

The inaugural flight carrying the fruit (MH6170) departed Kuala Lumpur on June 19, with four tonnes of the fruit onboard, and arrived in Shanghai later that day.

“We are working very closely with the Malaysian Quarantine & Special Services Department (MAQIS) to ensure that all the stringent export requirements are met and will be putting in more efforts to the smooth operations of these shipments, as we are expecting more durians coming through our flights to China. At the same time, strong collaborations are in place with the ground handlers in China for seamless operations there too,” Thomas continued.

“We would like to thank the exporter, BEHO Fresh Sdn Bhd, and the durian processing factory, PHG Ever Fresh Food Sdn Bhd, for choosing MASkargo for this inaugural delivery. We would also like to congratulate both companies and those who have passed China’s stringent import protocol for frozen whole fruit durians into the country.”

Demand for the fruit – described as pungent and tasty – in China has soared in recent years. So far Thailand has been the main beneficiary of the craze as it is already allowed to transport the fruit to China and is responsible for 90% of the global market.

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Damian Brett

Damian Brett
I have been writing about the freight and logistics industry since 2007 when I joined International Freighting Weekly to cover the shipping sector.After a stint in PR, I have gone on to work for Containerisation International and Lloyds List - where I was editor of container shipping - before joining Air Cargo News in 2015.Contact me on [email protected]