Ranau’s cheap durians attract buyers from afar

Thorny bounty: Durians are being sold for as low as 70 sen per kg in Ranau.

KOTA KINABALU: Residents in earthquake-hit Ranau are hoping for the proverbial durian runtuh (windfall) by offering the king of fruits for a stunning 70 sen per kilo.

The fruits sold in stalls along the road towards Ranau have attracted large crowds of durian lovers from many parts of the state following news about the low prices.

The cheap prices are applicable to durian kampung, the non-graded varieties which usually sell for about RM8 per kilo.

“Branded” durians are being sold at market price. For example, the ever popular musang king is selling at RM30 per kilo.

Those who have been to Ranau and went home with truckloads of durians are posting about it and urging people to follow suit.

Civil servant Valentine Peter, 31, who was met at one the durian stalls, said he came all the way from Kota Kinabalu, some 100km away and about two hours’ drive, just to eat the durians.

“I came to know about these cheap durians from Facebook. They taste as good as the more expensive types like D24 or musang king but at a way lower price,” he said.

Schairlinelle Sautol, 30, said she and her twin daughters Veldevella and Veldevea, four, love durian a lot and would always spend a fortune buying them when the fruit was in season.

“Although we have our own little durian farm, we do not want to pass up the chance to buy such cheap durians,” she said.

Some traders explained that the drop in prices was also due to an oversupply of the fruit, forcing them to sell them cheap before the durians turn bad.

This offer is a positive turn for people at the area as business has been poor for those in Kundasang and Ranau following the June 5 Mount Kinabalu earthquake and subsequent mudfloods.