Durian galore, thanks to big harvest

Bountiful crop: Ang Hock Leng, 53, showing off this year’s harvest such as the Jantung (in hand), Kunyit (opened, first row left) and Lobster (opened, the rest on table) variety at his Anson Road durian stall.(Below) Another durian seller proudly displaying the variety of durians at his stall.

GEORGE TOWN: Bumper harvest in Penang has brought down durian price by as much as half.

Farmers are slashing the price of Musang King from RM125 per kg, last year, to RM50 and RM65 per kg.

A check on durian stalls in the city revealed Black Thorn Grade A was sold at RM75 per kg, compared with RM100 last year.

But some of the ‘vintage’ varieties only saw a minor drop in prices.

The Hor-Lor is now selling at between RM30 and RM45 per kg compared with RM40 to RM55 per kg last year while the D158, nicknamed Ganja, is going at RM28 per kg compared with RM35.

Orchard owners in Balik Pulau foresee the season to last until next month.

Bao Sheng durian farm owner Chang Teik Seng, 58, claimed he had never seen such a durian season in his 35 years in the trade.

Another durian seller proudly displaying the variety of durians at his stall.

“The trees are so healthy. During the flowering season, there was less rain than last year but it was not a draught. It is the perfect kind of weather for my trees.

“The taste of the fruit is also quite good,” he said.

Chang said they predicted the next batch would be between May and June, followed by another round of fruiting in June and July.

“I don’t think the trees will be able to bear fruit in September,” he said, adding that durian orchards would forecast seasons to alert their customers.

Durian wholesaler Tan Chee Keat, 29, said he distributed about 40 tonnes of Penang durians since the season began early this month.

“The durians were sent to Kuala Lumpur and a lot were exported to China, where demand is great now,” said

Tan, who runs the Durian Kaki in Jalan Paya Terubong, added that Indonesian tourists were also among his top customers.