Durian farmers lose millions as storms damage over 2,000 trees

Compiled by C.ARUNO, MARTIN CARVALHO and R. ARAVINTHAN

DURIAN farmers in Balik Pulau, Penang, lost millions of ringgit after a recent violent storm damaged over 2,000 trees while causing some to prematurely drop their fruits, Kosmo! reported.

The thunderstorm, which happened last Thursday, destroyed over 30 tonnes of a variety of premium durians such Musang King, Black Thorn, Udang Merah, 604, D15 and others.

A durian farmer Tan Chee Keat, 32, said he lost over RM1mil after the storm devastated 40ha of durian crop on his 90ha farm.

“The storm happened suddenly during extreme hot weather.

“This is a rare occurrence since I started durian farming,” he said, adding that he was to harvest the durians this month when the ripe fruits begin to fall.

Tan said his hope of making good profits had been dashed.

He said the affected unripened fruits would be converted into fertiliser while others would be kept and used to make biscuits.

Another farmer known only as Ah Seng, 45, was worried that he would not be able to meet clients’ demands.

He said about 30% of his clients were from China, Hong Kong and Singapore who have booked flights to visit his durian farm.

> Some men are willing to spend between RM1,000 and RM1,200 a month to get the sculptured body of their dreams.

The price includes paying for gym fees, premium food and supplements, Sinar Harian reported.

One of them is Mohd Hafizi Md Zulkifli, 34, who said he spent over RM1,200 a month to shape his physique.

He uses part of this to buy a large chicken, 10 pieces of salmon, a kilo of beef, vegetables, fruits and 15 eggs to eat every two days.

“At times, I encountered financial difficulties and had to take on part-time jobs to ensure my diet was not affected,” he said, adding that he gets satisfaction when seeing the desired results.

Engineer Nazdeen Eskandar, 31, said he spent about RM1,050 monthly on gym fees, supplements and food to shape his body.

He took up body building after suffering from low esteem while growing up obese as a child.

The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.