National Durian Vol. 26

Based on Narin’s experience in fertilization, sufficient potassium, calcium and boron must be supplied during fruit expansion. Black Thorn durians have also become popular in Thailand. of Black Thorn durians. Meet Narin, a farmer from Chanthaburi, Thailand who manages a 90 Rai (about 36 acres) durian orchard. Despite having no prior experience in cultivating Musang King trees, Narin has been bold enough to dedicate a section of the orchard exclusively for this durian variety. Today, these Musang King trees, which are only 3 years and 8 months old, will finally yield their first harvest in 2023. “There is a total of 160 of these Musang King trees in my orchard. From these 160 trees, I am expecting to harvest an estimated 3 tons of durians,” Narin said with a smile.…

Basically, it takes only 6 days by land from Chanthaburi to China. Malaysian durian farmers have quizzing on how Thailand is able export durians to China all year round. To answer this question, let’s have a look at the data provided by the Chinese customs. Based on this data, the number of durian containers exported from Thailand to mainland China is at a staggering 50,000 in 2023. Most of the vehicles in Thailand are 40-foot containers, unlike Malaysia, which has only 20-foot and 40-foot containers. Not to mention, the amount of containers used by Malaysia was only around 600. This shows that Thailand’s durian export is truly magnificent. SWIFT AND ECONOMICAL LAND TRANSPORTATION To further our research on this matter, our team had the honour of visiting Dalian Yidu Group…

Durian trees require a lot of water to grow. To cater to this, durian farmers firstly need to provide sufficient irrigation. Secondly, the orchard should have a good drainage system to prevent waterlogging which may be caused by excessive water supply. In order to meet the water requirements of durian trees, the farmers put in a lot of effort. One of them is Jacky Lim, who manages around 7 acres of orchard in Kluang, Johor. He pays great attention to water management. Jacky Lim’s orchard is located on a slope that has a good drainage system. However, during the unusual rainy season in early 2023, there was a problem of poor drainage in the low-lying areas of the orchard. This has sadly, affected the durian trees. To solve this issue,…

In order to meet the market demand, durian trader Eng Lai Heng has rented more than 10 durian orchards, aiming to obtain sufficient yield to supply the market. In fact, apart from renting durian orchards in Malaysia, he has also actively expanded his business to Indonesia, where he has cultivated Musang King durians. During this interview, his Indonesian partner was coincidentally present to visit his durian orchard. IS TUPAI KING REALLY THAT GOOD? Eng Lai Heng’s rented orchards consist of various varieties, some even entirely planted with Musang King durian trees, while others have a mix of different durian varieties. One of his 7-acre plots has all kinds of varieties, including the rare D145 (Durian Beselah) from Johor. D145 (Durian Beselah) is a long-established durian variety from the East Coast.…

Digitalization in the agriculture industry has become commonplace in this time and age. In order to keep up with the ever-burgeoning human population, precision farming is inevitable. By the year 2050, it is said that human population may reach 9 billion. This also means that both humans and food which we cultivate to keep ourselves alive will be in competition for space. Hence, it is imperative to adopt modern strategies for the sake of human sustenance. Various machines have been developed to mitigate the cumbersome processes of agriculture. For example, irrigation has been made autonomous by installing some digital sensors such as those of water EC and soil humidity to regulate the water output amount. A soil and environmental monitoring system, often seen erected like a weather station, is used…

The La Niña phenomenon has finally come to an end after three unusually persistent years. Currently, the tropical Pacific is in a neutral state between El Niño and La Niña, known as ENSO-neutral. However, according to a report released by the World Meteorological Organization, the likelihood of ENSO-neutral transitioning to El Niño has increased up to 80% between the month of July and September. There are currently no signs indicating the gravity or duration of the impending El Niño, but typically it lasts between 9 to 18 months. This June finally marked the long-awaited durian season, but this time the harvest did not bring the usual joy to the farmers. On the contrary, everyone seemed worried. Buyers and exporters have been dissatisfied with the quality of durians, and issues like…