Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has pledged to raise the issue of Malaysia’s falling durian prices directly with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during his official visit to China next month, in a bid to help local growers expand exports.
Speaking at a meet-and-greet session in Gambir, Johor, Anwar acknowledged that durian farmers have been hit hard by a sharp drop in prices following an unusually widespread harvest season across Peninsular Malaysia.
The Prime Minister said he intends to use Malaysia’s strong ties with China to negotiate greater market access for Malaysian durians, with the aim of boosting demand and improving returns for local growers.
“I will be visiting China next month and I intend to bring up the issue of durians because I’ve seen prices fall. China has very high standards, but I will try to negotiate,” he said.
Anwar added that the close relationship between Malaysia and China should be fully utilised to create more trade opportunities that would benefit local farmers, particularly during periods of oversupply.
The event was also attended by Pakatan Harapan (PH) Johor election director Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, and PH’s Gambir state seat candidate Mohd Nor Mohd Yusof.
In a separate part of his speech, Anwar defended the government’s fuel subsidy policy, saying Malaysia continues to offer some of the world’s lowest fuel prices despite global market pressures caused by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
The Prime Minister, who also serves as Finance Minister, said rising global oil prices—driven by conflicts involving Iran and the United States—would normally lead to higher domestic fuel prices based on economic principles.
However, he said the government had chosen to continue protecting Malaysians from rising living costs by maintaining fuel subsidies.
According to current fuel prices effective from 1 to 8 July, RON97 is priced at RM3.37 per litre, while diesel is RM3.97 per litre. Under the government’s subsidy programme, Malaysians continue to pay RM1.99 per litre for RON95 and RM2.10 per litre for subsidised diesel through the BUDI MADANI initiative.
Anwar said the Cabinet had carefully considered the issue and decided against allowing fuel prices to rise, emphasising that protecting the welfare of the people remains a key priority.
