Black Thorn durian creator is now a Datuk
Leow Cheok Kiang was honoured by his home state of Penang.
Arise, Leow Cheok Kiang: the Black Thorn durian creator is now a Datuk.
The 65-year-old received the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN), which carries the title of Datuk, in a ceremony in Penang on July 28, The Star reported.
The title, akin to a knighthood in the United Kingdom, was awarded for his contributions to agriculture.
While it is not recognised in Singapore, durian lovers here will certainly recognise Mr Leow's creation.
Black Thorn is one of Malaysia's most coveted durians, and stands with the Musang King in price and popularity.
In the 1980s, Mr Leow created a hybrid durian by grafting a local variety with an unidentified Thai variety on his father's land in Lima Kongsi.
"It took almost 30 years for the trees to produce quality fruits," Mr Leow, a native of Sungai Jawi, Penang, told The Star.
In 2011, he entered his durian in Penang's Annual Fruit Competition and won second place.
Following that, his Black Thorn or "Orh Chi" took the top prize three years in a row, from 2012-2014. It has been registered as D200 under the Agriculture Department.
"Different people have different tastes. The market will decide, but I believe in letting the fruit speak for itself," Mr Leow told The New Straits Times.
However, the newly christened Datuk says he will not be using his new title to promote his durians.
"Earning a Datukship is nice, but I want the durian to be the focus," he explained.
"I just want everyone to enjoy good durians and be happy."