RED durian, or better known as Maraang among residents on the east coast of Sabah, has great potential to be a new high-value economic product and penetrate the Asian regional market.
The exotic fruit, which has a sweet, fatty taste and is rich in its own nutrients, is also part of the local community's food heritage.
Among the Sungai community, red durian is usually stir-fried into sambal and enjoyed with rice, making it a popular traditional menu and adding to the deliciousness of the dish, reported Sinar Harian.
Kuamut State Assemblyman (ADUN), Datuk Masiung Banah said that the uniqueness of Maraang deserves serious attention, especially through the study and development of crop varieties using modern agronomic technology by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry (MAFFI).
According to him, modern agronomic approaches are capable of producing high-quality red durian seedlings, with smaller and more productive tree sizes compared to existing traditional planting methods.
“I am confident that MAFFI Minister Datuk Jamawi Jaafar, who has extensive experience in the durian-based agricultural industry, will be able to promote the red durian variety as a modern crop.
“When red durian becomes the main crop in the state, the production of this exotic fruit will increase, thus expanding the state market,” he said.
He explained that red durian is a seasonal crop that is a traditional food for the Sungai community in Tongod, Kinabatangan, Telupid and Beluran.
“The deliciousness of red durian flesh is not only a traditional food for the local community, but also a sought-after food for taste lovers in Sarawak.
“In fact, foreign tourists are now interested in trying this unique durian variety when visiting Sabah, thus opening up opportunities to penetrate the food market in the Asian region,” he said.
According to him, research into new agronomic grafting varieties is important to produce smaller and more productive trees, as well as to enable Maraang to be promoted as a domestic crop in Sabah's agricultural industry.
"Uniquely, this red durian fruit will not fall even when it is ripe. Its large and tall tree requires the services of residents who are skilled climbers to pick the fruit.
"With a yield of up to 200 seeds per tree and low sugar content, red durian has great potential as a unique new agrotourism product," he said.
He said, the combination of unique taste, heritage value and potential for the agricultural and tourism industries makes the Maraang red durian capable of emerging as an icon of local exotic products that promises high economic returns to Sabah. – February 8, 2026
