Abstract
After 20 years of negotiation, Malaysia officially gained legitimate market access for fresh jackfruit to China when the Export Protocol of Phytosanitary Requirements was formally signed between the Malaysian government and the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) on April 11th, 2023. China has been identified as a new emerging market while remaining the world’s largest jackfruit importer, albeit currently relying on the dominant supplier, Vietnam, which has now opened to Malaysia for exportation in fresh whole form. Subsequently, the first export trial was implemented in September 2023 involving Malaysian exporters and government representatives to evaluate the quality, shelf life and physiological aspects by applying fruit coating and to identify the market potential of the premium Malaysian fresh jackfruit variety, J33. This study delved into sensory evaluations and market observations to assess consumers’ and industry players’ acceptability of Malaysia’s fresh jackfruit in China. Quantitative and qualitative data were obtained involving 129 local consumers, 15 market platforms and four industry players, mainly fruit wholesalers and importers. Three samples of fresh jackfruit pulps were used for the sensory tests, including J33 with chlorine treatment, J33 using fruit coating, and Vietnamese jackfruit as a controlled sample. Structured questionnaires were applied as survey instruments. The analysis of variance was used to measure mean differences between the three samples. The results revealed that mean scores of Malaysian J33 are higher and had significant differences from the Vietnamese jackfruit for each attribute, demonstrating that J33 is more acceptable and thus showing positive signals to the Malaysian jackfruit industry. The industry evaluations suggested that Malaysian jackfruit can be classified as a premium segment due to the attributes’ strength and high acceptability level relative to the existing and dominant product, however, the market price remains an important indicator to competitively penetrate the jackfruit market in China.
Abstrak
Selepas 20 tahun rundingan perdagangan, Malaysia secara rasminya mendapat akses pasaran yang sah untuk pengeksportan nangka segar ke China setelah menandatangani dokumen Protokol Eksport Keperluan Fitosanitasi Nangka di antara Kerajaan Malaysia dan General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China (GACC) pada 11April 2023. China dikenalpasti sebagai pasaran baharu yang berpotensi serta pengimport nangka terbesar dunia, manakala Vietnam adalah pengeksport dominan di negara tersebut dan akses pasaran nangka segar import kini dibuka kepada Malaysia. Justeru, program percubaan eksport telah dilaksanakan pada September 2023 melibatkan pengeksport dan delegasi kerajaan Malaysia bertujuan untuk menilai kualiti, jangka hayat dan aspek fisiologi menggunakan salutan buah-buahan serta mengenalpasti potensi pasaran nangka segar premium Malaysia, varieti J33. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk menilai penerimaan pengguna melalui penilaian sensori, tinjauan pasaran dan penerimaan pemain industri terhadap nangka segar Malaysia di China. Data kuantitatif dan kualitatif dikumpul melibatkan 129 pengguna tempatan, 15 platform pasaran, dan lima pemain industri terdiri daripada pengimport buah-buahan. Tiga sampel kajian nangka segar digunakan untuk penilaian ujirasa iaitu nangka segar J33 dengan rawatan klorin, nangka segar J33 menggunakan salutan buah, dan nangka Vietnam sebagai sampel kawalan. Soal selidik berstruktur digunakan sebagai instrumen survei pengguna dan analisis varians digunakan untuk mengukur perbezaan skor min di antara sampel. Dapatan penilaian sensori menunjukkan bahawa J33 Malaysia mencatat skor min tertinggi dan mempunyai perbezaan yang signifikan daripada sampel nangka Vietnam bagi setiap atribut. Ini membuktikan bahawa nangka Malaysia J33 mendapat penerimaan lebih tinggi dan sekaligus memberi signal positif kepada industri nangka di Malaysia. Pemerhatian pasaran dan tinjauan industri merumuskan bahawa nangka Malaysia diklasifikasikan sebagai segmen pasaran premium berdasarkan faktor atribut dan tahap penerimaan pengguna di China berbanding pasaran nangka sedia ada. Namun, harga pasaran merupakan indikator daya saing penting untuk meneroka pasaran nangka segar secara kompetitif di China.