DESPITE several oil palm investment schemes have faltered in the past, it has not deterred Durian Capital Bhd to launch Malaysia’s first licensed investment scheme for the “king of fruits”.
Towards this end, the homegrown agro management company has partnered with Finology Sdn Bhd’s sub-brand, Loanstreet, a comprehensive financial platform, to offer an accessible financial entry into agriculture investing for both new and seasoned investors.
According to Grand View Research, the global durian fruit market size was estimated at US$18.72 bil in 2019. It is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% to reach US$30 bil by 2025.
In Malaysia alone, durian production levels have hit 341 million kilograms (kg) across 182,216 acres nationwide.
In a move to accelerate industry expansion, Malaysia has begun expanding its Musang King variety in China via specialised stores and local street markets. These activities aim to drive the consumption of fresh durians in the region.
With that in mind, Loanstreet’s online financing options will be available as a new feature on Durian Capital’s website.
The company believes that the partnership is set to provide a major boost to all Malaysians looking to participate and share in the growth of Malaysia’s Musang King Durians.
“We are excited to partner with Loanstreet and leverage their fintech solutions to provide potential investors more flexibility and choice during their investment journey,” Durian Capital CEO Afiq Johar pointed out.
“In line with our goal of democratising agriculture investing, we hope this offers a more inclusive product that will enable more Malaysians to participate in the growth of Malaysia’s next global commodity – Musang King durians.”
To give investors assurance of returns, Durian Capital takes care of the end-to-end process of managing a successful Musang King harvest while offering investors yearly returns via its Durian Capital Scheme which is regulated under the Interest Scheme Act 2016 by the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM).
With regard to failure of oil palm investment schemes, the High Court had in November 2019 ordered Golden Palm Growers Bhd, the management company of the Golden Palm Growers Scheme (GPGS), to pay the amount of monies due and owing, plus guaranteed yields to GPGS investors and for the wind-up of the scheme.
Earlier in 2013, the Country Heights Growers Scheme which was Malaysia’s first oil palm farm-sharing investment scheme was also prematurely terminated predominantly “due to low yields as a result of the unfavourable topography, soil fertility and issues with the fauna”. – Dec 24, 2021
