PM Anwar pledges talks with China to help rescue durian farmers in Johor affected by price slump.

TANGKAK, July 6 — The issue of falling durian prices following a near-simultaneous peak harvest season across Peninsular Malaysia has caught the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who said he will raise the matter with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during his upcoming visit to China next month.

He said the move aims to expand market access for Malaysian durians in China, helping to boost demand and stabilise prices that have recently impacted farmers’ earnings.

“Alright, I promise one thing. Li Qiang, the Prime Minister of China, is a good friend. I will be going to China next month, and I want to bring up durian because I see prices are falling.

“China has very high standards, very high. But I will try to negotiate,” he said during a meet-the-people session at the Gambir state constituency here last night.

Also present were Pakatan Harapan (PH) Johor Election director Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister and Ledang MP Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, and PH candidate for the Gambir state seat Mohd Nor Mohd Yusof.

Anwar said Malaysia should leverage its strong ties with China to open up more trade opportunities that benefit local producers and farmers, particularly during periods of oversupply.

In a separate development, the Prime Minister said Malaysia continues to maintain among the lowest fuel prices through government intervention, despite global oil price pressures driven by geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The Finance Minister noted that conflicts involving Iran and the United States have pushed oil prices upward due to supply disruptions, but said the government has chosen to shield consumers from the impact.

“There is no country in the world where fuel prices have gone down like Malaysia. Malaysia is the only country with the lowest fuel prices in the world. It is not easy to reduce fuel prices. We (the Cabinet) discuss it because I cannot bear it (if fuel prices go up).

“If you follow economics or policy principles, fuel prices must go up due to supply disruptions. But what about the people? That is why I do not agree with price increases, and we reduce them,” he said.

From July 1 to 8, retail fuel prices are set at RM3.37 per litre for RON95 and RM3.97 per litre for diesel, while subsidised rates under the Budi Madani initiative bring prices down to RM1.99 per litre for RON95 and RM2.10 per litre for diesel. — Bernama