Durian prices drop to lowest at RM1 per fruit

A photo of durians sold at RM1 each in Sungai Kob, Kulim, making its rounds on Facebook.

SUPPLY appears to have exceeded demand for durian. As the harvesting season goes past its peak, sellers are marking down prices till it’s just RM1 per unit to encourage buyers to snap them up before the fruits go bad.

A photo of the price slash was making rounds on Facebook yesterday, showing a durian stall in Sungai Kob near Kulim, Kedah. Larger and fresher durians were going at between RM3 and RM8.

In Chai Leng Park, Butterworth, a durian seller was spotted selling Musang King at RM28 per kg.

“The wholesalers are sending us durians twice a day. We are now desperate to sell as fast as we can because we are committed to take their stock daily,” he said.

This has been the longest durian season in recent memory in northern Malaysia.

Makeshift durian stalls mushroomed in late February and the season was supposed to be over in May. But another round of durians began falling in late June, removing any perceptible break in the season.

In March, sellers slashed the price of Musang King from RM125 per kg last year to RM50 and RM65 per kg. Black Thorn Grade A was being sold at RM75 per kg, compared with RM100 last year. Some ‘vintage’ varieties only saw a minor drop in prices.

The Hor-Lor went for RM30 to RM45 per kg compared with RM40 to RM55 per kg last year, while the D158, nicknamed Ganja, was going at RM28 per kg compared with RM35.