Search
Sweeter mangoes, quality durian: Fruitful harvest expected amid heatwave in Malaysia

May 03, 2024 | The straitstimes |

Malaysia's current heatwave, attributed to the El Niño phenomenon, is expected to significantly impact various crops. The durian industry, particularly the Musang King variety, anticipates a bumper harvest due to the hot weather. This is because durian trees require very hot conditions to bloom, leading to about 50% more flowering. However, the heatwave also poses challenges, such as the risk of blooms drying up or getting damaged before they mature into fruit. Ensuring adequate water supply is crucial to prevent the trees from drying up and producing "burnt" fruits. Despite these challenges, a higher yield is expected, although this may result in lower prices for the fruit.

Similarly, the Harumanis mango, another prominent Malaysian crop, is expected to benefit from the heatwave. The hot conditions have led to sweeter fruits and a longer harvest period, potentially increasing profits by about 30%. However, mango trees also require careful watering to cope with the intense heat.

On the other hand, the output of Malaysia's key cash crop, oil palm, is expected to decline due to the heatwave. Oil palm trees require substantial water, and irrigation experiments have not yielded the desired results. This anticipated drop in yield is expected despite higher crude palm oil prices, compounding the usual post-strong yield cyclical dip in production.

Overall, while some crops like durian and mangoes may see a bountiful harvest, the heatwave poses significant challenges to maintaining crop quality and managing water resources.

Read more

Viewed Articles
Sweeter mangoes, quality durian: Fruitful harvest expected amid heatwave in Malaysia
May 03, 2024 | The straitstimes | Malaysia's current heatwave, attributed to the El Niño phenomenon, is expected to significantly impact various crops. The durian industry, particularly the Musang
Read More
As lychee harvests dwindle, Guangdong’s farmers and artists ponder how to take on climate change
February 05, 2025 | The World of Chinese | Guangdong’s lychee farmers faced severe losses in 2024 due to extreme weather, including record-breaking rainfall and warmer winters that disrupted flowering
Agriculture: Losing the luscious lychee
October 13, 2024 | DAWN | Malik Fiaz, a 70-year-old lychee farmer in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Haripur district, faces declining yields due to climate change, with recent years seeing a drop in produce
2024.11.04
Pineapple imports from India, Indonesia to face federal agriculture department risk assessment
August 11, 2024 | ABC News | In early 2023, Australia faced an unexpected pineapple glut due to a mass natural flowering event, causing an oversupply that led to large amounts of fruit rotting in fiel
Polk County citrus grower swaps crop to avocados
April 12, 2025 | WESH 2 News | Facing devastating citrus greening disease and worsening climate impacts, Florida farmer Mitch McLellan replaced his orange grove with avocado trees in Polk County. Form
Price of tender coconuts may go up this summer
February 17, 2025 | Times of India | Tender coconut prices in Coimbatore are expected to exceed Rs 50 per fruit this summer due to a significant drop in supply. Currently priced at Rs 34 per fruit, th
TOP