Bangka Belitung Durian Contest Targets Global Recognition
- 09 Jul 2026 20:26 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- The Bangka Belitung Islands Provincial Administration launched a campaign to promote local durian varieties for national and international markets.
- The initiative started with a Durian Contest in Pelangas Village, West Bangka Regency, aimed at identifying superior local durian varieties.
RRI.CO.ID, Bangka Belitung - The Bangka Belitung Islands Provincial Administration has launched a campaign to take local durian varieties to national and international markets. The initiative began with a Durian Contest in Pelangas Village, West Bangka Regency, intended to map superior local varieties that can compete with imported durians.
Head of the Provincial Culture and Tourism Agency, Wydia Kemala Sari, said the Bangka Belitung durian contest was deliberately held in Pelangas Village on Thursday, July 9, 2026. The village was chosen because it has long been known as a major durian-producing area.
“Pelangas Village, with its abundant durian orchards, has strong potential for further development so the tourism sector can advance. One effort is a durian festival combined with the nganggung cultural tradition as the main attraction for visitors,” she said, as quoted by Antara.
She noted that Malaysia, known for its Musang King durian, has successfully attracted many foreign tourists. “Bangka Belitung has even greater potential because it has many superior local durian varieties. We are working so more tourists will come to enjoy our durians,” she said.
According to Wydia, Bangka Belitung’s durians come in many varieties and are popular among locals and on the national market. “After today’s durian contest, tomorrow we will hold a public durian event featuring many authentic Bangka Belitung durians that are already famous for their flavor,” she said.
The provincial administration has also partnered with several influencers to promote Bangka Belitung durians on social media to raise international awareness.
West Bangka Regent, Markus, said that Pelangas Village contains many kelakak durian groves. These are small ancestral forest gardens that feature various fruit trees, including durian, duku, mangosteen, and cempedak. “The durian contest and nganggung event are fitting here because the village is already known as a durian producer,” he said.
Officials hope the contest will raise Pelangas’s profile not only as a producer of superior durian but also as a tourist village rich in culture, traditions, and agrotourism offerings.
Kelekak is a local wisdom tradition in Bangka Belitung. Through kelekak, people learn sustainable livelihood systems, investment, and environmentally friendly farming methods with economic value.
In the traditional gardening system, landowner plant mixed fruit species, medicinal plants, and shade trees. Ancestors thereby passed down farming practices that preserve family food security while protecting the environment.
“Visitors will enjoy staying in Pelangas Village because it has many potentials, and we have designated it as a village of harmony with high tolerance, which can serve as a model for other villages,” added Markus.
Head of the Provincial Agriculture and Food Security Agency, Kurniawan, said the Pelangas durian contest is a tangible administration effort to raise awareness of Bangka Belitung’s local durians at national and international levels.
“There are still many local durians across villages with potential to be flagship varieties but lacking exposure. Through this contest we aim to increase recognition and market value,” he said.
The contest featured 52 participants presenting varieties from across Bangka Belitung. To ensure objectivity, organizers invited professional independent judges from academia; researchers from National Innovation and Research Agency (BRIN); national practitioners; and seed certification experts from the Regional Technical Implementation Unit (UPTD) for Testing and Quality Certification of Goods (PSMB). ***
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