KEPALA BATAS: Falling durian prices have done little to deter thieves, with a Penang trader losing baskets of prized Black Thorn variety in two break-ins just days apart.
Wenny Ooi, 27, said thieves targeted her family’s stall twice on June 25 and June 29, marking the first break-ins since they started the business six years ago.
In the first incident, two baskets of Black Thorn, also known as Or Chi, were stolen but footage from the surveillance camera shows only one thief leaving with a basket of durians, she said yesterday.
She suspected that the thief loaded the fruits onto a vehicle waiting outside before fleeing the scene.
“Four days later, at about 1am, my stall was broken into again. This time, the thief was armed with a knife but left with only a basket of spoiled durians,” she added. Following the two incidents, Ooi said her family had increased the number of guard dogs at the stall.
Durian farmer Tan Chee Keat, 35, said durian thefts have become a near daily occurrence at his orchard in Sungai Ara, with trespassers sneaking in during the early hours to collect freshly fallen fruits.
“They usually come in groups of two or three, carrying sacks, and each time they can make off with more than 10kg of durians,” he claimed.
He said his workers would normally begin collecting durians between 5am and 6am using headlamps while it was still dark, making it easy for thieves to spot their movements.
Tan said he used drones to detect intruders, but catching them remained difficult as they cover their faces and enter the orchard through the back.
“We tried to catch them, but they would flee through the jungle. Sometimes, after my workers finish collecting, more durians fall from the trees and the thieves come to take them,” he said.
Penang Fruit Farmers Asso-ciation chairman Kie Kim Hwa said durian thefts were far more common years ago when economic conditions were poorer.
“Nowadays, people are generally better off, so such cases have become less frequent, although they still happen occasionally.
“It’s ironic because durian prices have fallen sharply this season.
“Penang durians are now selling for between RM5 and RM50 per kg, roughly half their peak prices earlier in the harvest,” said Kie, who represents about 250 fruit farmers statewide.
He said many traders chose not to pursue the matter, preferring instead to tighten security or wait for repeat offenders to be caught.
Kie also hikers and visitors not to steal durians from orchards.
“It is shameful to steal. These fruits are the farmers’ livelihood,” he said.
