KUALA LUMPUP, Jan. 11 -- In the small Pahang town of Raub, the pungent scent of durian is the smell of money, thanks to a global rush fuelled by China's insatiable appetite for the Musang King, a prized variety so coveted it has been dubbed the "Hermes of durians."

Once a 19th-century gold mining town that dug for treasure underground, Raub has now found its fortune above it. The town is one of many in Southeast Asia at the centre of this boom, fuelled by China's voracious and growing demand, BBC reported.

In 2024 alone, China imported a record US$7 billion (RM28 billion) worth of durians - a threefold increase from 2020 - with over 90 per cent of the world's durian exports now headed there.

"Even if only 2 per cent of Chinese people w...