KAULA LUMPUR: As early as March, consumers in China may be able to get a taste of Malaysian pineapples as the country looks to allow imports. Malaysia Pineapple Industry Board director-general Sahdan Salim said both countries were currently finalizing details on the quarantine procedures imposed by the Chinese authorities.
He said both countries had signed an agreement in 2013 in which China wanted Malaysia to send one hundred 40-ft containers of pineapples monthly. “China is expected to become our biggest importer of pineapples, taking over from Singapore and the Middle East, which are now our main export markets,’’ he said.
Sahdan said the export to China in March would begin with three 40-ft container each month, which would contain 20 tonnes of pineapples each. By 2018 they expect to ship around 20 containers each month.
He added that the demand for fresh pineapples in the overseas market is good and we want more smallholders to focus on planting the MD2 pineapple.
