A rumour claiming that Musang King durians sold for cheap in Malaysia were rejected by China due to high levels of insecticide has been doing the rounds on social media since Nov. 17, 2017.

The rumour was spread over WhatsApp and by a Facebook page called "Our Singapore", which posts about current affairs locally:

The post appeared to be targeted at Singaporeans who travel to Malaysia for leisure.

The post has been shared more than 2,400 times.

Malaysian durian sellers react

Malaysian durian orchard farmers and owners have since hit back at the post after seeing it.

They have dismissed the post about rejected Musang King durian as "fake news" and regard it as a ploy to sabotage the popularity of the fruit.

Other Malaysian foodies have also questioned the rationale of reselling the durians back in Malaysia if they were indeed rejected, as the durians have to make its way to China before being shipped back -- an intolerably long voyage that costs time and money.

What did the rumour claim?

The rumour warned people about eating the durians sold in Malaysia at "your own discretion" and was accompanied by a picture showing a large number of durians being stocked for sale.

In one version of the message, it was claimed the piles of rejected durians had too high levels of insecticide and were now retailing for RM30/kg in places such as Bentong and Raub.

Musang King durian, also known as Mao Shan Wang or Civet Cat King, retailed for almost RM100/kg in the previous year, due to poor weather conditions or difficult harvesting conditions that led to a shortfall in supply.

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Why the rumour can be dismissed as fake

Multiple reasons have since been proposed as to why the rumour about China shipping durians back for sale in Malaysia is fake.

The most obvious tell-tale sign that the message is fake is that durians shipped to China are frozen whole or packed. This is to ensure that they last the two-week journey from Malaysia to China.

Moreover, Bentong and Raub have many durian orchards that allow durians to be harvested and sold on site. It is not unusual for prices to fall.

Favourable weather conditions have resulted in an abundance of durian supply this season, which explains the relatively affordable RM30/kg price.

Having the durians shipped from Malaysia to China and back would also not make sense as the cost of shipping would be hefty and it would be easier to dispose of any durians that are undesirable.

The surplus in durians this season in Malaysia has also been expected.