What led to the dramatic drop in durian prices from RM90 to RM9 per kg?

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Musang King prices fell from RM90 to RM9 per kg because China’s fresh-durian demand shifted and cooled while Malaysia’s supply surged and arrived in the same harvest window.

China’s demand for premium durian, especially Musang King, drove the boom from 2015 to 2023, with Malaysia’s export value rising from RM570.8 million in 2020 to RM1.14 billion in 2022 and RM1.51 billion in 2023. But the market later changed: Chinese consumers moved from frozen pulp and frozen whole fruit to fresh whole durian, which requires cold-chain logistics, rapid air freight, and strict quality control that Malaysia was not yet able to deliver at scale. Vietnam, closer to China and with a near year-round harvest cycle, signed a phytosanitary protocol with China in July 2022 and sent its first official consignment within two months, while Malaysia’s protocol arrived in June 2024 and the first shipment followed only in August, leaving Vietnam ahead for roughly two years.
China shifted to fresh durian and Vietnam captured the channel
The demand change meant importers increasingly wanted fresh whole durian rather than frozen products, tightening the operational requirements around transport and quality. Vietnam’s proximity reduced transport costs and transit times compared with air freight from Malaysia, and its harvest pattern helped it keep supplying. As a result, by 2025 Vietnam accounted for about 98% of China’s fresh durian imports by value, while Malaysia’s share was around 1.4%.
China’s import demand cooled and customs tightened inspections
Prices also weakened on the demand side beyond the Vietnam factor. China’s overall durian imports fell sharply in the first half of 2025 after customs tightened quality inspections following contamination scares, and the Malaysia Durian Exporters Association pointed to a broader Chinese economic slowdown dampening appetite for premium fruit. At the same time, China began producing about 2,000 tons a year of durian in Hainan, a small volume nationally but a signal of diversification away from imports.
Malaysia’s planting expansion collided with a harvest glut
On the supply side, growers expanded durian acreage roughly fivefold over the past decade after years of high prices. This expansion then met “simple biology”: orchards across several Malaysian states entered peak harvest within a narrow window this year, creating what FAMA called a “glut” driven by synchronised timing. Compounding the glut, a meaningful share of newer export-grade fruit failed to meet strict China and Singapore requirements, forcing growers to redirect those fruits to domestic buyers.
Export-bound supply failed to absorb the peak, pushing fruit onto local markets
When export-bound supply could not reach intended markets while domestic production peaked at the same time, the only remaining destination was the local market, all at once. With Malaysia’s domestic consumption never built to absorb export-era volumes at anything close to RM90 per kg, prices adjusted sharply downward—Musang King reportedly falling to as low as RM9 per kg at orchards. The article also cites a more sustainable long-run Musang King price range of RM35 to RM40 per kg, reflecting the added growing capacity since the boom years.

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What led to the dramatic drop in durian prices from RM90 to RM9 per kg?

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