JAKARTA – Indonesia has many types of durian which are no less delicious than durians from neighboring countries.
However, none of them are as famous as the durian montong from Thailand or the musang king from Malaysia.
Prihasto Setyanto, the Director General of Horticulture of the Ministry of Agriculture, wants to change this situation.
He is targeting the implementation of the agenda for introducing native Indonesian durians to the world.
By cooperating with a number of parties, the Directorate of Horticulture started by documenting durians from Aceh, Kundur Island, Riau Archipelago, and so on.
Many of these durians are proven to have a taste that is not inferior to durian montong or musang king, but they are not well known in Jakarta.
The reason is that the durian had already been sold out in its region of origin before it could be offered to other regions, capital cities, or even neighboring countries.
Therefore, it is important to first introduce the durians in Indonesia to the public–both at home and abroad.
From this introduction, the development of Indonesian durian which has the potential to excel in the international market will begin.
This development process, said Anto, takes a long time.
“Starting from the adaptation test, which lasts for 4-5 years, until it bears fruit. Then the adaptation test to be done again elsewhere, then it is built into a big business, it all takes at least 20-30 years,” he explained.
“Durian grown in Aceh may not necessarily be planted in Java or Kalimantan, and vice versa. That’s why the process is long, it can’t be done instantly, it can’t be rushed,” he added.
Even so, he is optimistic that Indonesian durian will one day be able to appear or even dominate the international market.
