Malaysia is standing firm on ownership of one of its most valuable agricultural exports, Musang King durians.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Mohamad Sabu, better known as Mat Sabu, said the Musang King name belongs solely to Malaysia and cannot be used by other countries. He explained that Musang King is protected under Geographical Indication (GI) registration, meaning only Malaysian-grown durians can legally be sold under that name.
According to him, while durians from other countries may resemble Musang King, the flavour clearly sets the Malaysian variety apart.
Concerns over foreign labelling
Reports state that Mat Sabu was responding to a question from Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham, who asked whether the government was aware of durians from Thailand and Vietnam entering Malaysia before being exported to China. Ngeh also raised concerns about durians sold directly to China being labelled as Musang King, and questioned what steps…