High-value differentiation of durian:

Are we missing an opportunity?

Khoo Teng Kew

5th International Symposium on Tropical and Subtropical Fruits

Guangzhou, China18-20 June 2012 

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Outline

• Crops for the Future – Who we are?

• Diversity of Genus: Durio

• Durian Consumption Trends

• Geographical Indications– A value-creation tool 2

Crops for the Future (CFF)• Global partnership organization to

foster enhanced collaboration amongst R&D stakeholders of underutilized crops

• Established in 2009 through the merger of ICUC1 and GFU2

• Operating out of Malaysia

• Co-hosted by Bioversity International and the University of Nottingham, Malaysia Campus

• Core funding from DFID/UK3

1 International Center for Underutilized Crops2 Global Facilitation Unit for Underutilized Crops

Durio Morphology

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Inflorescence

Durian fruit

Export Value Chain

• Unique selling point: Aroma and taste• Value: USD 0.50 - 10.00 per kg

• Most planted fruit tree in Malaysia *• Export value: USD 5.6 million (2010) *• Farmers: 45,502 (2010) *• Production: 300,470 t (2010) *• Net profit: approximately USD 1 per kg

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* Statistics in MalaysiaSource: Department of Agriculture, Malaysia

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Source: Department of Agriculture, Malaysia

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Acreage (Ha)

110615 105388 99408 96762 88719 104655

Production (t)

378657 292681 312157 277767 278076 300470

Value (mil. USD)

266.952931 305.831780333333

381.319670333334

432.019656666667

429.442652333334

464.025835

25000

75000

125000

175000

225000

275000

325000

375000

25

75

125

175

225

275

325

375

425

475

Acreage, Production & Value of Durian in MalaysiaLe

ft-a

xis

- Acr

eage

& P

rodu

ction

Righ

t-ax

is -

Valu

e of

Dur

ian

Acreage (Ha)

Production (t)

Value (mil. USD)

7

8

Geographical Distribution of Durian Cultivation

9

Durio Diversity

10

Durio zibethinusDurio dulcis

Durio graveolens Durio kutejensis

Durio Diversity

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Durio lowianus

Durio oxleyanusDurio testudinarum

Durio dulcis

12Source: Salma (2011)

Durio graveolens

13Source: Salma (2011)

Durio kutejensis

14Source: Salma (2011)

Durio lowianus

15Source: Salma (2011)

Durio oxleyanus

16Source: Salma (2011)

Durio testudinarum

17Source: Salma (2011)

Durio zibethinus

18Source: Salma (2011)

Commodity Mindset

19The various cultivars of Durio zibethinus

Geographical Indications (GI)

• An indication which identifies any good as originating in a locality (country or territory)

• A given quality, reputation or other characteristic of a good attributable to their geographical origin

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Diversity • Inter-specific & intra-

specific

Post-harvest Management• Harvest date & methods• Maturity• Pest & disease incidence• Handling & storage

conditions 21

Components of Quality Management

Environmental

• Climate• Soil

Geographical Indications

Problems with Durian

• So much diversity, but not used

• Commodity approach - Mass production of an undifferentiated product

• Unsubstantiated “quality” claims

• Insufficient quality differentiation

• Lack of durian flavour vocabulary 22

Durian Preference

• 51% of those who do not consume said they dislike the strong aroma

• Monthong variety preferred due to its milder aroma for the 72%

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72%

28%

Durian Consumption in ThailandConsume Do Not Consume

Source: Tiyaratanakura (1991)

Durian Preference

• Majority whom have no preference ages below 20 years old

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Source: Rozhan (2006)

49%

11%

40%

Durian Preference in MalaysiaVillage Durian Released Varieties No Preference

Durian Products

25

Lempuk

Dodol

Srikaya Tempoyak

Durian Products

26Minimally processed durian (MARDI)

Missing an Opportunity?

• An emblematic product of Southeast Asian countries

• Emerging connoisseurship of this fruit• However, currently there is very little

understanding how genotype, environment and crop management interact to result in durian quality

• Emulate the wine industry such as the branding of local product qualities, and the use of geographical indications to add value as well as protecting growers from disloyal competition 27

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Opportunities and Needs

• How can indigenous producers benefit from value chain development of specialty durian?

• Assist communities with technical product dossiers required to substantiate GI submissions to the state

• Assist communities with setting up of organizational and administrative structures to maintain and defend GI

• Assess the appropriateness of national GI legislation and, if necessary, propose legislative changes to accommodate poor farmer needs

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Collaboration

• CFF is in the process of developing a project by looking into the opportunity of using GI as a value-creation tool for durian in the Southeast Asian region

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Thank You!www.CropsfortheFuture.org

Khoo Teng Kewt.khoo@cropsforthefuture.org

Literature• Nanthachai, S. Durian – Fruit development, postharvest

physiology, handling and marketing in ASEAN. Published by: ASEAN Food Handling Bureau

• Salma, I. 2011.Durio of Malaysia. Published by: Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI)

• Rozhan, A.D. 2006. The consumers’ preference for durian in Malaysia. Economic and Technology Management Review. 1(1): 37-49

• Tiyaratanakura, P. 1991. Thai consumers desire in consuming durian (Durio zibethinus Murr.). Undergraduate Special Problem. Department of Horticulture, Kasetart University Bangkok

• MARDI (2012) [Online]. [Accessed 11 June 2012]. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.mardi.gov.my/

• Department of Agriculture (2012) [Online]. [Accessed 11 June 2012]. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.doa.gov.my/

• MSN (2012) [Online]. [Accessed 11 June 2012]. Available from World Wide Web: http://news.malaysia.msn.com/weird-news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4218898

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The Need for Collective Action

• We are a dispersed community, fragmented by our crop and institutional mandates, yet have common goals

• We are perceived as peripheral to the agricultural agenda

• We don’t speak with a global voice such as the CGIAR

• We are not heard by funders, policy makers and in global debates about food, sustainable agriculture, climate change

• We need more national champions and senior mentors for young NUS scientists

• We need synergies for generating evidence to support our global agenda 32

Our Goals

1. Facilitate access to knowledge on NUS, through web portal, monographs, synthesis papers, and databases, especially in the areas of production, sustained market access, nutritional security

2. Provide information services to NUS stakeholders (grant and training opportunities, library resources)

3. Engage in policy to promote the use of NUS (market access barriers, IAR, GFAR)

4. Increase awareness on the potential and contributions of NUS for livelihoods (conferences, review papers, press articles)

5. Strengthen capacity amongst NUS researchers

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CFF’s working definition of “neglected and underutilized species” (NUS)

• Farmed or gathered on a small scale • Unrealized potential for contributing to

food security and nutrition • Often linked to the cultural and culinary

heritage of their place of origin, and maintained by poor, often indigenous farmers

• Distribution, biology, cultivation and uses are poorly known and documented

• Receive little attention from research, policy makers, donors and technology providers

• Informal seed systems• Several hundred species!

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