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Climate change squeezes Malaysian durian growers as they chase China's booming market
['Kanis Leung And Vincent Thian', 'Fri', 'August', 'At A.M. Gmt', 'Min Read']
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KARAK, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian durian orchard owner Stephen Chow's workers spend hours in the fields in the dead of night, donning headlamps to collect freshly ripened fruit coveted by Chinese consumers.
Durian lovers prize the Malaysian premium varieties such as Musang King and Black Thorn, but their growers face a harsher reality.
Extreme weather has dealt repeated blows to Chow's orchard, which is in Karak, a small town about an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur.
Such weather favored flowering, and Chow responded by pruning to prevent deformed or small fruit while stepping up watering and fertilization because of the heat.
An oversupply of durians in Malaysia — driven by hot and dry weather and more orchards reaching maturity — also pushed prices down.