Mat Sabu: Malaysia eyes year-round durian with R&D boost inspired by Thailand, Japan
Its Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu said the efforts carried out by the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) are in line with the objectives of the Campaign to Eat More Local Fruits and Vegetables.
'We are carrying out R&D, especially by DOA and MARDI, to produce new seeds and so on. The MARDI durian, for example, was produced recently in Kuala Kangsar. Delicious. High quality,' he said.
Mohamad said this in his speech when launching the National Campaign to Eat More Local Fruits and Vegetables and the closing of the 4-day FAMA Fest 2025 @ Selangor at a shopping mall here today.
Meanwhile, Mohamad said the KPKM is very serious in its efforts to raise the popularity of local fruits among Malaysians.
He added that the government has also decided that official government functions must be served with local fruits and that it is a symbol of support for local farmers' production and to uphold its own products.
'During my visit to Thailand as the Minister of Defence, I was served food based on local fruits and vegetables throughout my time there. The same goes for Japan, almost 100 per cent local,' he said.
At the same time, Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA) chairman Aminuddin Zulkipli said the FAMA Fest achieved its target when it recorded a sales value of more than RM800,000 through the participation of 50 local entrepreneurs and attracted more than 40,000 visitors.
He said that since its introduction in 2017, FAMA Fest has been a catalyst for the economic growth of agri-entrepreneurs with the achievement in 2024 recording more than 492,000 visitors involving 949 entrepreneurs with total sales reaching RM8.8 million nationwide.
'The national target for FAMA Fest 2025 is to achieve RM5.3 million in sales value with 265,000 visitors and the involvement of 383 entrepreneurs in six selected locations,' he said. — Bernama
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