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☆ China’s Lust for Durian Is Creating Fortunes in Southeast Asia
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-16 | by ( Thomas Fuller | Gabriela Bhaskar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Before he started a company 15 years ago selling the world’s smelliest fruit, Eric Chan had a well-paying job writing code for satellites and robots. The fruit, durian, has long been a cherished part of local cultures in Southeast Asia, where it is grown in abundance. When Mr. Chan began his start-up in his native Malaysia, durians were cheap and often sold from the back of trucks. Last year, the value of durian exports from Southeast Asia to China was $6.7 billion, a twelvefold increase from $550 million in 2017. China buys virtually all of the world’s exported durians, according to United Nations data.

Persons: Eric Chan, Chan Organizations: China, United Nations Locations: Southeast Asia, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Vietnam

☆ Make a Great Taco Even Better With Jackfruit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Ligaya Mishan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Rivals for the title include a 144-pounder reportedly sighted at a jackfruit festival in the southern Indian state Kerala in 2010. Kerala is where the American poet and essayist Aimee Nezhukumatathil first tasted jackfruit, at age 8. Then they watched her devour jackfruit and understood that she was one of them after all. But in 2020, when grocery supplies were running low during the pandemic, she spotted canned young jackfruit at the local store. “It’s about as close as you can get to tearing into flesh,” Nezhukumatathil says.

Persons: Aimee Nezhukumatathil, ”, jackfruit, ” Nezhukumatathil, Nezhukumatathil Organizations: Rivals, Miss Locations: Maharashtra, Kerala, American, Chicago, Oxford, Mississippi, United States

☆ Singapore's 'ice cream uncles' are disappearing. Blame old age and bureaucracy.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-24 | by ( Amanda Goh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Most hawkers collect their ice cream and dry ice from wholesale distributors around the country. Lester Ledesma for Business InsiderLiang is one of Singapore's remaining traditional ice cream sellers and part of a bygone era. Buying one from one of Singapore's "ice cream uncles" is almost a right of passage. But Liang, Tan, and many other traditional ice cream sellers in the country find themselves working well into their golden years. In addition to the ice cream cart, the ice cream hawkers often also use big cooler boxes for additional storage.

Persons: hawking, —, Liang, Lester Ledesma, Insider Liang, Kenneth Goh, Chip Guan Heng, Goh, Koh Poh Koon, That's, Koh, Tan Ah Hock, He's, " Tan, Tan, There's, Wang, she's, Chan Yong Leng, Chan, TikTok, Darren Tan, it's Organizations: Service, Business, Insider, Singapore Food Agency, SFA, Social Service Office Locations: Singapore, Orchard

☆ Snake pizza on the menu in Hong Kong
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Chris Lau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —American company Pizza Hut has teamed up with a century-old Hong Kong restaurant to put a modern spin on a traditional dish, or more simply, snake on a pizza. Some diners in Hong Kong and around southern China have long enjoyed snake stew, especially during the colder months. Hong Kong resident Mabel Sieh, a self-described foodie who loves to try different pizzas, said, “I think it’s scary. And Hong Kong’s Pizza Hut locations have other plans for new menu items. Meanwhile, Pizza Hut in Japan created a pizza topped with Tonkotsu ramen (pork bone soup ramen).

Persons: they’ve, Ser Wong, –, Mabel Sieh, foodie, “, Rachel Wong, Karen Chan, ”, Dominos, boba Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Hong, CNN, Pizza Locations: Hong Kong, China, Southeast Asia, Vietnam, Thailand, Central Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, Japan

[1/5] A Chinese tourist is welcomed by Thai traditional puppets during a welcome ceremony of the first batch of Chinese tourists under a five-month visa-free entry scheme at Bangkok's International Airport, Thailand, September 25, 2023. The visa waiver programme runs from Sept. 25 until February next year. The government expects 2.88 million Chinese visitors during that 5-month period, slightly higher than the 2.34 million Chinese who have visited this year. "More Chinese tourists come to Thailand for holiday, because it is indeed very convenient," he said. Chinese tourists say they are drawn to Thailand for its beaches and food.

Persons: Athit, Srettha Thavisin, Srettha, Gu, ”, Ye Weihe, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Miral Fahmy, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Bangkok's International, REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Thai, Thailand, Rights BANGKOK, Bangkok, Shanghai, Srettha, Tourism, Suvarnabhumi, China, Pattaya

☆ A Nation Goes for Dominance—of World’s Stinkiest Fruit
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Sha Hua | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/business/farming-durian-stinky-fruit-china-2a320ef9

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ Demand for the world's smelliest fruit has soared 400%, fueled by China’s ‘craze’
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Lee Ying Shan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Different varieties of durian fruits on display at a durian stall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia,. Global demand for polarizing fruit soared 400% year-on-year, according to HSBC which said it's largely bolstered by a "craze" for the fruit in China. "Bucking global trends, durian demand is surging by 400% year-on-year led solely by a craze in China," a report released by the bank on Monday said. Over the past two years, China imported $6 billion worth of durians — accounting for 91% of global demand, HSBC's ASEAN Economist Aris Dacanay said in the report. While the boom in China's durian demand started as early as 2017, the uptick in demand only picked up from late 2022, according to data from HSBC.

Persons: it's, Aris Dacanay Organizations: Global, HSBC, ASEAN Locations: Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia, China

But as local economic development officials worked with Ford and other prospective investors, it became clear they needed a much bigger footprint. The rest has been earmarked by economic development officials for suppliers and other developments. In Marshall, residents petitioned to hold a referendum on the project, gathering over 800 signatures in a city of 6,800. She believes factory workers will move to Marshall to work for Ford. He notes that the factory he works at, in nearby Battle Creek, has struggled to find skilled workers.

Persons: Fred, Joan Chapman, Ben Klayman MARSHALL, Fred Chapman, ”, That’s, Chapman, Joe Biden, Gabby Bruno, Glenn Kowalske, “, Ford's Bruno, Ford, Bruno, CATL's, James Durian, Durian, Sue Damron, Marshall, he’s, Timothy Aeppel, Ben Klayman, Dan Burns, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Ford Motor Co, Ford Motor, Census, Ford, Amperex Technology Co, Amazon, Marshall, Economic Development Alliance, Thomson Locations: Marshall Township , Michigan, U.S, Mich, Marshall, Kalamazoo, New York City, China, Calhoun County, Battle, Mexico, New York, Marshall , Michigan

☆ Vietnam to cut annual rice exports by 44% to 4 million tons by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vietnam aims to cut its rice exports to 4 million tons a year by 2030, the government said in a document detailing its rice export strategy, down from 7.1 million tons last year. Rice export revenue will fall to $2.62 billion a year by 2030, down from $3.45 billion in 2022, the document said. Vietnam will diversify its rice export markets to reduce its reliance on any country, the government document said. "I doubt the strategy will materialize, as rice production depends on supply and demand, not on a government decision," another rice trader in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang said. Rice exports from Vietnam in the first four months of this year rose 40.7% from a year earlier to 2.9 million tonnes, according to government customs data.

☆ What’s a President to Do When a Nation’s Capital Is Sinking? Move It.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Hannah Beech | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +38 min

A new capital city for a place with such disparities and diversity presents both a challenge and a chance for reinvention. Moving the Seat of Power From Java to Borneo Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Detail area Malaysia Nusantara Borneo Java Sea Indonesia Jakarta Java Indian Ocean Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara, will be about 800 miles from the current capital, Jakarta. It cannot be overnight, it’s not like Aladdin comes with his genie,” said Bambang Susantono, the head of the Nusantara Capital City Authority. We have to prove that this will be a self-propelling city.” — Bambang Susantono, head of the Nusantara Capital City AuthorityCritics of I.K.N. Indonesia’s capital city faces sinking land and rising seas.

The growing popularity of so-called superfoods has led to a boom in production of fruits like avocado, açaí, and durian. Avocado farmers in Mexico are picking up guns to defend themselves from cartels. Açaí berries are painstakingly harvested in the Amazon, where farmers see very little return. And in Malaysia, durian farmers are losing their crops because of a controversial land battle. We journeyed through factory and forest to measure the true cost of our obsession with some of our favorite superfoods.

☆ Malaysia secures $555 million potential exports during PM's China visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KUALA LUMPUR, April 5 (Reuters) - Malaysia secured 2.44 billion ringgit ($555.30 million) in potential exports during Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's visit to China last week, a government trade agency said on Wednesday. The products Chinese importers were interested to source from Malaysia included palm oil, food and beverages, durian and iron products, the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) said in a statement. Malaysia's exports to China totaled nearly $48 billion last year, though it declined 9.1% in the first two months of 2023, MATRADE said. During his visit, Anwar witnessed the signing of trade agreements between Malaysian and Chinese businesses, it added. China will invest an estimated $38.6 billion in Malaysia, including in the petrochemical and automotive industries, Anwar told parliament earlier this week, without specifying a timeframe.

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