Battling the heat with coconut water in Johor

Refreshing: A trader seen cutting a coconut for his customer. . — THOMAS YONG/The Star

JOHOR BARU: Coconut sellers here are enjoying brisk sales with many flocking to their stalls to quench their thirst amid the ongoing heatwave.

Coconut trader Teoh Hock Soon, 42, said the number of customers had doubled since the hot weather here started about a week ago.

“Normally, I will be able to sell between 50 and 150 coconuts a day, but since last week, the number has gone up to between 200 and 300.

“Although we see rainfall almost every day, the weather is still incredibly hot and humid. This has prompted many people to get coconut water.

“It is pretty common to see an increase in sales during such weather. This has been the trend for many years,” he said.

Teoh, 42, said despite an increase in demand, there is no shortage of supply as he was able to order more from his suppliers.

He said the Matag coconut is the most popular variety during hot weather as many believe it has cooling effects.

Ali Mustafa, 55, who runs a stall selling coconuts, cendol and sugar cane drinks, said apart from the hot weather, many of his customers are also buying coconut drinks to soothe their fever.

“Malaysians tend to drink more coconut water when they have fever, for its soothing effects. Lately, many people seem to be getting fever more easily, especially children.

“This may have also boosted the demand for coconut water. So far, the increase in sales is not as significant as during the period when we were getting our vaccination in 2021.

“At that time, we were also experiencing a heatwave and this resulted in increased sales,” he said, adding that he has been selling an average of 60 coconuts daily since last week compared with about 40 in previous weeks.

Another trader Tie Kian Chow, 42, said while there has been an increase in demand for coconut water lately, sales in general were still lower compared with pre-pandemic times.

“We have been getting more customers since last week because of the hot weather. I am able to sell at least 100 coconuts daily compared with about 50 on a normal day,” he said.