Musang King land feud: Malaysian farmers fight for their durian orchards

Straits Times

21-06-2025

Durian trees planted by "unlicensed" farmers on state-owned land deep in the hills of Sungai Klau, Raub, Pahang were chopped down by the state authorities as part of a crackdown. ST PHOTO: HAZLIN HASSAN
– Long-simmering tensions over Malaysia's prized durians and illegal orchards have come to a head, drawing royal fury. As some 1,000 trees were felled as part of a nearly month-long enforcement op eration against illegal durian farms in Raub, Pahang ruler Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah declared that the encroachment on state land 'makes my blood boil'.
The remarks, made during a Hari Raya Aidilfitri event in April, came as enforcement officers from multiple state agencies, armed with chainsaws, razed once-lush orchards in sleepy Raub district, flattening decades-old trees – many of them the Musang King variety – planted by mostly Chinese Malaysian farmers .
The tree-felling operation that began on April 8 has left the durian community reeling – igniting a high-stakes dispute involving hundreds of millions of ringgit and unfolding allegations of land trespass and broken trust.
The stand-off between durian farmers and the authorities wanting to raze illegal plantings of the fruit on state land escalated with the arrest of Raub MP Chow Yu Hui in mid-April for obstructing enforcement officers.
The lawmaker, along with Mr Wilson Chang of the Save Musang King Alliance (Samka) – a group representing around 1,000 unlicensed durian farmers in Raub – were on site opposing the felling of the trees.
For months now, tensions have grown in the state over control of the lucrative durian trade, with land trespass claims prompting the state to take stern action.
'It is time for us to stand firm with encroachers who enter the Pahang land without permission. We will act in such a way, and it will be solved amicably,' the Sultan of Pahang said at the event in Kampung Bantal, Ulu Tembeling .
The ongoing dispute is part of a broader conflict involving durian orchards that have existed for generations on government-owned land, but without formal approval from the state or the Royal Pahang Durian (RPD) group which now holds the lease over the disputed area.
RPD , a private company chaired by the Sultan of Pahang's daughter, Tengku Puteri Iman Afzan, has offered to lease the land back to farmers for a fee, on condition they sell their fruit to the consortium at a fixed rate, ranging from RM18 (S$5.50) to RM30 per kg currently – well below the RM80 to RM95 per kg durian lovers in the capital Kuala Lumpur are willing to pay.
Grown primarily in the highlands of Pahang, Musang King is the centrepiece of Malaysia's durian export industry. This variety, famed for its rich, creamy texture and bittersweet flavour, is a favourite among durian connoisseurs across Asia – especially in China, where it commands premium prices. Durian trees typically take four to six years to bear fruit when grown from grafts and up to 10 years when grown from seeds .
Raub is often called the durian capital of Malaysia, and is known as the 'Musang King Durian Town'. On its loamy, well-drained slopes grow an estimated 150,000 trees covering around 2,000ha of state land – or roughly two times the size of Singapore's Pulau Ubin .
Since enforcement actions began in mid-2024, 15,000 durian trees on about 202ha – or slightly less than half the size of Singapore's Sentosa Island – have been felled, according to a video clip shared on the Pahang Sultanate's Facebook page on May 9 .
The Raub farmers who spoke to The Straits Times on June 3 said their forefathers were encouraged to cultivate state-owned land, and they did so in hopes of eventually owning land.
The Green Book Plan in Malaysia was introduced in 1974 to encourage food production and self-sufficiency by promoting farming on available land, including vacant or under-utilised areas. While the plan encouraged farming, it did not automatically grant land ownership to farmers. The focus was on utilising land for food production, regardless of ownership status.
Mr Chow clarified that there were only verbal assurances, and no formal agreements were signed with the farmers. He noted that some farmers began cultivating the land as early as the 1960s, with no objections from the local authorities at the time. The federal government's Green Book Programme in the 1970s further encouraged agricultural activities, giving farmers the impression that their efforts were supported, he said. 'Some of them started in the 1960s, and the local authorities didn't block them from going in. After the Green Book programme encouraged farmers to cultivate, more farmers went in,' he added.
Raub, known as the Musang King Durian Town, is famed for its prized durians grown in the lush, hilly terrains of Malaysia's Pahang state.
PHOTO: SAVE MUSANG KING ALLIANCE
Some of the farmers say they have submitted multiple applications over the years to obtain legal title to the land, but were rejected without explanation.
Mr Chang, who is the president of Samka, said he has been been trying to legalise the status of the 3.2ha of land his family has worked on since 1968.
'We have submitted eight applications (to the state authorities since then), and all of them were rejected,' he told ST.
Though the dispute has at times been framed by outsiders as racial in nature, involving Chinese Malaysian farmers and the Malay-led state government, around 100 of the unlicensed farmers, or one-tenth, are Malays.
Hundreds of millions of ringgit are at stake in the longstanding dispute.
Malaysia's durian exports, totalling more than 27,000 tonnes, amounted to US$44.49 million (S$57.3 million) in 2023, according to global trade data provider TradeImeX. Singapore primarily imports its durians from Malaysia, buying US$15.45 million of the thorny fruit in 2023.
About 60 per cent of Malaysia's total durian exports go to China, making it the South-east Asian country's largest international market for the region's 'king of fruits'. China alone import ed RM1 billion worth of durians from Malaysia in 2024, after Malaysia signed a deal with Beijing allowing the shipment of fresh durians. Shipments were previously restricted to frozen products. Its durian imports from Malaysia are expected to rise 20 per cent this year, with Musang King leading the demand.
By 2030, Malaysia hopes to export more than US$500 million worth of durians, on the back of rising global demand.
But farmers caught up in the conflict are not reaping the fruits of their labour.
'I have no income now. I have to take on odd jobs at other people's farms, like spraying pesticides,' said a 65-year-old Chinese Malaysian farmer, one of six farmers who spoke to ST in Raub district. They say they have been prevented from working the land their families have tended to for generations for about a year.
'I can't sleep at night. I have no money and no future,' he said, on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.
As for RPD's hold on the dis puted area, the group was awarded the lease and land use rights for 2,167ha of land in Raub for a period of 30 plus 30 years by the Pahang state government in June 2020, based on information from its website.
In July that same year , RPD and its partner, state agency Pahang State Agricultural Development Corporation (PKPP), announced a 'land legalisation scheme' that would 'provide legitimacy and a win-win solution to all illegal farmers in the district of Raub', the website states.
Durian farmers who sign up for the scheme are granted land use rights, provided they sell their harvest to the group at a fixed price. Former Selangor state executive councillor Ronnie Liu, who has been acting as middleman between the farmers and RPD, told ST around 400 farmers have signed up for the scheme so far. However, several farmers have voiced concerns that the prices were set 'too low'.
Years of discussions have only recently yielded a modest increase in buyback prices for the durians.
'Now, they (RPD) are willing to increase the price for Grade A Musang King to RM35 per kg, up from RM30 since 2020, and Grade B Musang King from RM18 per kg to RM22 per kg,' said lawmaker Mr Chow. This is still three to four times below the market rate for the prized Musang King Variety .
RPD declined to comment on the matter.
Muddying matters further, a little-known entity appeared on the scene in April.
'DOA Plantation Sdn Bhd has entered the scene by force. The group has occupied farms without consent, evicted existing farmers, tagged trees without notice, and has refused to present any legal documents or offers of collaboration from the state government,' Samka said in a statement on May 29 at a briefing for farmers.
According to Samka , a check with the Companies Commission of Malaysia showed that DOA Plantation was established in July 2024 and has two directors. ST has reached out to one of them, but has not received a reply.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's anti-graft agency has been investigating over 80 individuals, including former government officials, some now elderly and in poor health, for alleged corruption tied to the illegal durian farms.
A total of 84 people, including the officials and farmers, have been identified or are under investigation in connection with the case, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Pahang director Shukor Mahmud told ST.
'The retired officers' health condition is not good,' he said, adding that some have said they do not remember the events that happened during their time of service.
Hazlin Hassan is Malaysia correspondent at The Straits Times.
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