TANGKAK: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has pledged to raise the issue of falling Malaysian durian prices with Chinese Premier Li Qiang during his visit to China next month, in a bid to expand exports and help growers affected by a nationwide glut.
Anwar said the simultaneous peak harvest across Peninsular Malaysia had driven down prices, hurting farmers' incomes, and that he would seek greater market access in China to boost demand.
"I promise one thing. Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang is a good friend. I will be visiting China next month, and I want to bring up durian because I see prices are falling. China has very high standards, but I will try to negotiate," he said at a meet-the-people session in the Gambir state constituency tonight.
Also present were Pakatan Harapan (PH) Johor election director Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari, Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister and Ledang member of parliament Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, and PH candidate for the Gambir state seat Mohd Nor Mohd Yusof.
Anwar said bilateral relations with China must be leveraged to unlock trade opportunities that benefit local producers during periods of oversupply.
On a separate matter, the prime minister said Malaysia remains among the nations offering the lowest fuel prices through government intervention, despite global oil price pressures driven by geopolitical conflicts in the Middle East.
He said conflicts involving Iran and the United States have pressured global oil markets, but the government has chosen to shield the public from price hikes.
"There is no country where fuel prices are managed like Malaysia. Malaysia has among the lowest fuel prices. It is not easy to sustain this. We discuss it in the cabinet because I cannot bear the thought of prices going up.
"Under standard economic principles, fuel prices should rise due to supply disruptions. But what about the people? That is why I do not agree with price increases," he said.
Current retail fuel prices from July 1 to 8 are set at RM3.37 per litre for RON95 and RM3.97 per litre for diesel, but the public continues to benefit from subsidised rates of RM1.99 per litre for RON95 and RM2.10 per litre for diesel under the Budi Madani initiative. - NST
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