Creator of the Famous Black Thorn Durian Awarded ‘Datuk’ Title

Recently, the Penang farmer responsible for developing this renowned durian variety has been conferred a Datukship.

Datuk Leow Cheok Kiang, 65, was awarded the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), which carries the title ‘Datuk’, in recognition of his role in promoting the Black Thorn durian in Penang and across Malaysia.

In a report by NST, Leow expressed his surprise and gratitude for the recognition, saying it was a great honour to be acknowledged in this way.

Having been in the durian trade since the age of eight, Leow manages several farms that not only sell Black Thorn durians but also other varieties such as Musang King, Red Prawn, and D-14.

Despite that, the businessman said the Black Thorn or Orh Chi in Hokkien, remains his ‘crown jewel’ and best-seller.

“My Black Thorn is well-known for its sweetness and quality. Even without much promotion, word of mouth has brought in loyal customers from all over the world,” he said.

According to reports, Leow first created the Black Thorn durian in a modest orchard in Lima Kongsi near Sungai Jawi nearly four decades ago. The variety was the result of a hybrid between a local durian tree and an unidentified Thai variety that Leow discovered in his father's orchard.

It is understood that the hybrid tree took almost 30 years to produce quality fruits, so it's safe to say the road to creating the Black Thorn durian was a bit ‘thorny’.

In 2011, Leow submitted his Black Thorn durian to Penang's Annual Fruit Competition, where it secured second place.

Three years later, he submitted the same variety again, this time, the Black Thorn durian won first place and gained international recognition before it was subsequently registered as D200 with the Agriculture Department in 2014.