BALIK PULAU – The current movement control order (MCO), which began on June 1, has proven to be a blessing in disguise for durian traders here, just as the ripening period of the “king of fruits” takes off.
Durian entrepreneur Hamzah Ahmad, 65, said he is surprised when his durian sales received an encouraging response, especially from locals, during the lockdown period.
Hamzah said the still-high demand has caused the price of the tropical fruit to more than doubled, with durian kampung being sold at RM18 per kg compared with RM6 per kg in the previous season.
“Actually, we expected there to be a lot of durian dumping during this MCO, which in turn will result in a sharp drop in price,” he said when met by The Vibes.
“But I was surprised when more and more buyers visited my stall. Now we have a problem of not having enough durians because most of them, especially durian kampung, are sold out.”
Hamzah, who runs the durian stall with his wife, Rohani Ali, 61, has been in the trade since 1987.
He said since Covid-19 hit the country last year, his source of income has decreased by 10% due to a drop in customers outside of Penang.
Among his regular customers is Federal Territories Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, who will buy at least three baskets of Grade A durians, with each basket having an estimated value of RM2,000.
“I have several VIP customers, such as Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and other top government officials.
“But since the MCO started last year, it has been difficult to sell durians outside of Penang. So, I focus on sales only in the state.”
Wei Tan, 38, who owns DurianKaki in Jalan Paya Terubong, said he has to increase efforts to sell the fruit online to meet current demands.
Therefore, he added, the profit earned from the sales is not much as he has to cover the costs of packaging and shipping.
“In the past, you could make a lot of profit, but now you need (to include) other side costs.
“But I am still grateful because the government allows the sale of durians by the roadside”.
He said interested customers can place an order on his company website for direct home delivery or via GrabFood. – The Vibes, June 8, 2021
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