When his father died, Zain decided to take over the farm and sell durians as a side hustle.
But he soon found that selling durian kampung was not worth the effort. Durian kampung sells for around RM8 per kg while durian clones, such as Musang King and Blackthorn, retail for around at least RM35 per kg.
The reason for the difference in price, Zain says, is the quality of the fruit. Though durian kampung trees require less maintenance, the taste is different and the fruit is of lower quality.
“The Musang King has thicker flesh, is more aromatic and has better colour. The quality of durian kampung is never that consistent,” he said.
Zain, 57, who has been planting more cloned durian trees in recent years, says farmers should consider switching to clones to boost their earnings if they have idle land on their farms.
“I understand that it takes a long time – four to five years – for the durian trees to grow. Even converting durian kampung trees to clones by stem grafting is expensive. However, it is worth it in the long run.”
He said he hopes to export his durian clones to countries such as China.
Abdul Rashid Bahri, deputy director of operations of the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) also urged more durian farmers to grow durian clones.
He said Fama’s goal was to expose more farmers to increase their production value by growing clones which are in high demand abroad, especially in Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Australia.
Abdul Rashid added that through Fama’s upskilling training programme, farmers would learn how to transform durian kampung farms to high-value durian clone farms through stem grafting, improve their skills in crop management and post-harvest handling as well as ways to market their products.
“Durian clones can produce fruit as early as three years through good management and care. Through this upskilling programme, farmers can shift to better quality products and can reap better returns,” he said.
He also said Fama would help farmers provide logistic facilities such as trucks for export and offer direct marketing services to help improve their sales.