SEPANG – The first Malaysian chartered freighter for pineapple cargo takes flight to Zhengzhou, China from KL International Airport (IATA Code: KUL) earlier this morning. The fourth air shipment of 22 tonnes of local pineapple MD2 via SF Express cargo airlines was chartered by GlobalWind Supply Chain Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. with Linghang International (M) Sdn Bhd as the Malaysian agent for the chartered freighter. The momentous event was jointly graced by YB Tuan Sim Tze Tzin, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Malaysia and YB Tan Kok Wai, Malaysia’s Special Envoy to China.
With the support from Malaysia Airports and Pos Aviation Sdn Bhd, the pineapple-chartered freighter has flown 3 earlier cargo shipments to Zhengzhou on the 14th, 16th and 21st November. So far, a total of 88 tonnes of pineapples have been successfully shipped and distributed throughout China. The chartered flight is scheduled for 1 year with an estimated 120 total flights exporting at least 2,000 tonnes of pineapples worth RM 12 million in export value.
It is hoped that with the arrangement of chartered freighters between the two countries, our Malaysian pineapple will become an important commodity in the Chinese market and at the same time, help promote KUL to become the cargo distribution hub between China (Zhengzhou) and ASEAN countries as well as Europe, America, Australia, and Africa.
According to Raja Azmi Raja Nazuddin, group chief executive officer of Malaysia Airports, the organisation is well positioned to facilitate efficient and seamless cargo operations through the implementation of the KLIA Aeropolis Master Plan – specifically through the development of the Air Cargo & Logistics cluster, one of three core clusters identified in the master plan. He said, “The facility in which you are in today - the KLIA Air Cargo Terminal 1 or KACT1 is one of the earliest manifestations of the Air Cargo & Logistics development. It encompasses 1.2 million square feet of gross floor area and serves as a cargo terminal, sorting centre, warehouse, and operations office. With our vast facilities, we are certainly more than happy to play a role in enabling the growth of our export economy, especially to new markets such as China and the Middle East.”
Chen Xuemei, the chairman of Zhengzhou Chen’s Sun Fruit and Vegetable Trade Co. Ltd. said, “Malaysian pineapples are fresh and succulent compared to pineapples from other regions. If Malaysia maintains its supply and pricing advantage of its pineapples, I believe they will be greatly accepted by our Chinese consumers.”
Liu Xiangqian, the chief executive officer of Ningbo Standard Fruit Agriculture Technology Co. Ltd. said, “The Malaysian Musang King durian is popular in China. I believe with the current export of the whole durian and now, the pineapple, the fruit industry in China will rapidly grow.”
Yu Haiye, the vice president of Global Wind Supply Chain Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. said, “We are glad to work with so many partners to ensure that we achieve our aim to export good quality Malaysian pineapples to China. We hope to further pursue our hopes in creating an exclusive brand for Malaysian pineapples.”