Fama’s deputy director-general (Operations), Mohamad Mustahapa Awang, said the authority had initiated a number of measures to assist durian orchard owners and traders to market the fruit nationwide and also for export.

He said the durian output in Balik Pulau was expected to reach its peak at the end of this month and the season will end in early August.

The expected output in Penang this year is 8,212 tonnes, he told reporters after visiting the Orchard Durian Collection Centre at Jalan Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau yesterday.

Mustahapa said the initiatives taken by Fama included providing “controlled fresh markets” for durians and marketing services at the agency’s 984 outlets across the country for direct selling of the fruit.

“Our monitoring at the orchard and wholesale levels has found no durian glut, and perhaps even insufficient supply in the market, as many people had been waiting for durians from Balik Pulau,” he said.

Fama is targeting 35,000 tonnes of durian to be exported to countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, China, the US and Australia with an export value of RM100 million this year. Last year, Malaysia exported about 30,000 tonnes valued at RM92.3 million.

“China’s demand for durian had reached 85,000 tonnes before but this year, perhaps only 10,000 tonnes of the fruit can be exported to that country,” he said.