{
  "id": 253822,
  "title": "How Malaysian durian farmers are fighting extreme weather to keep quality supply flowing",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/how-malaysian-durian-farmers-are-fighting-extreme-weather-to-keep",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-07T05:31:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "VnExpress Business",
    "slug": "vnexpress-business",
    "url": "https://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/economy/how-malaysian-durian-farmers-are-fighting-extreme-weather-to-keep-quality-supply-flowing-5106329.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Malaysian durian farmers are grappling with the challenges posed by extreme weather as they strive to maintain a high-quality supply for the export market in China. The primary culprit behind these challenges is climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, which is making farming more expensive and competitive with Thailand and Vietnam, the leading exporters.\n\nStephen Chow, a Malaysian durian orchard owner, spends long hours working in the fields at night to collect the prized fruit that is popular among Chinese consumers. However, despite his efforts, extreme weather has dealt repeated blows to his orchard. In 2021, heavy rainfall caused flooding that damaged about 100 of his durian trees and machinery. The following three years saw persistent rain during flowering season, leading to pollination failure, which cut into his yield. Now, Chow is facing the prospect of a loss this year due to breaking-even temperatures reaching 33 to 35 degrees Celsius (91 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit) in February and April, with rain mostly falling at night. This weather favored flowering, which Chow responded to by pruning to prevent deformed or small fruit while increasing watering and fertilization to combat the heat. However, the rising costs of fuel and fertilizer due to the Iran war have made these additional efforts more expensive.\n\nThe Malaysian durian industry faces additional challenges as it lags behind Thailand and Vietnam in exports to China. Despite producing a larger area of durians, the country's production has only grown nearly 90% to 568,800 tonnes since 2016. The boom in durian exports to China, driven by Beijing's \"durian diplomacy,\" has seen China procure about 95% of global durian exports between 2020 and 2022, with the volume jumping six times in the past decade. Malaysia's durians are considered higher quality than those from its competitors, as Malaysian growers typically harvest only naturally ripened fruit. However, the industry is currently facing the prospect of an oversupply, pushing prices down. In early July, Grade A Musang King durians from Chow's orchard sold for the equivalent of $8.6 per kilogram, about half of the price compared to the same period last year and roughly one-third of the peak price in 2024.",
  "summary": "Durian lovers prize the Malaysian premium varieties such as Musang King and Black Thorn, but their growers face a harsher reality.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "Climate change squeezes Malaysian durian growers as they chase China’s booming market",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/climate-change-squeezes-malaysian-durian-growers-as-they-chase-chinas",
        "published": "2026-08-06T01:23:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Techmeme",
        "title": "China launches a formal national security review of Palo Alto Networks products sold in the Chinese market, citing a need to protect critical infrastructure (Alan Wong/Bloomberg)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/china-launches-a-formal-national-security-review-of-palo-alto",
        "published": "2026-08-06T10:05:01.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Japan Times",
        "title": "Macao casinos hit by slump as China crackdown rattles market",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/06/macao-casinos-hit-by-slump-as-china-crackdown-rattles-market",
        "published": "2026-08-06T23:37:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}