Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has drawn attention to the drop in durian prices that occurred following the durian season peaking simultaneously in Peninsular Malaysia.
He said the issue would be raised in his meeting with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang during his official visit to the country next month.
The move is aimed at expanding Malaysian durian market access in China to increase demand, thus helping to stabilize prices that are currently putting pressure on local farmers' incomes.
According to Anwar, Malaysia's good relationship with China should be leveraged to open up more export opportunities, especially during times of oversupply.
He acknowledged that the Chinese market has high import standards, but the government will seek to hold negotiations to facilitate the entry of Malaysian durian into the country.
In another development, Anwar said Malaysia still maintains some of the lowest fuel prices in the region through government subsidies even though world oil prices are facing pressure due to geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
He explained that the conflict involving Iran and the United States should push fuel prices up according to market factors and supply disruptions. However, the government chose to continue to maintain the subsidy to reduce the burden of the people's cost of living.
For the period from 1 to 8 July, the retail price of RON95 is set at RM3.37 per litre, while diesel is set at RM3.97 per litre. Consumers continue to enjoy government subsidies at a rate of RM1.99 per litre for RON95 and RM2.10 per litre for diesel under the Budi Madani initiative.
