Climate change squeezes Malaysian durian growers as they chase China's booming market

KARAK, Malaysia -- 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. But the hard work may not be enough to keep Chow out of the red.Durian lovers prize the Malaysian premium varieties such as Musang King and Black Thorn, but their growers face a harsher reality. Climate change, caused by the burning of oil, gas and coal, is making it costlier for growers like Chow to produce quality durians, adding pressure as they compete with Thailand and Vietnam, which dominate a booming export market to China. Extreme weather has dealt repeated blows to Chow’s orchard, which is in Karak, a small town about an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur. In 2021, heavy rainfall triggered flooding that damaged about 100 of his durian trees and his machinery. Over the following three years, persistent rain during flowering season caused pollination failure, cutting into his yield. And now, Chow is facing other challenges. “Breaking even would already be very good. Most likely there’ll be a loss this year,” Chow said. Between February and April, afternoon tem...