Malaysia: Sweet smell of success for traders of King of Fruit lovers

Durian lovers can look forward to having their fix during the off-season, thanks to the unusual weather pattern. Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority (Fama) Eastern Region II (Pahang) director Abdul Rashid Bahri said although this was the off-season, supply of the King of Fruits had not decreased. He attributed this to the unusual climate plus better farm management. “I wouldn’t say there is an oversupply, but there is a lot more durian than usual. “I have been told by the farmers that it was due to the intermittent rainfall and sunshine in recent days,” he said.

Abdul Rashid added that the rainy season did not affect or spoil the harvest because the durian crop had already matured in November, before the onset of the monsoon. “It is a durable fruit, so unless there is a flood, it will not spoil.” Abdul Rashid added that it was good for the industry as durian lovers would get to enjoy the fruit for up to nine months a year while farmers could enjoy a consistent income over a longer period. He said Fama had taken advantage of the situation by marketing durian throughout the country and exporting some, in frozen form, to China.

Fruit traders here are going all out to increase sales during the bumper harvest too. Durian trader Khalid Sidek, 53, said his supply from Bentong seemed to be endless. “I will not say it is unusual but there just seems to be a lot of durian coming from Bentong. “We are getting up to 100 baskets daily,” he said at his stall in Taman Tas here. “And, sales are good. “Sometimes, the demand is so overwhelming that we run out of stock,” he added.

Source: thestar.com.my