For durian lovers, this might be the best time to go durian hunting.
The king of fruits is reportedly being sold at unusually low prices across Malaysia, with some sellers offering durians for as low as RM5 per fruit due to an oversupply in the market.
Durian prices drop amid oversupply
The price drop comes as many durian sellers are believed to be dealing with a large supply of fruits during the current durian season.
As durians have a short shelf life and cannot be kept for too long, sellers are lowering prices and introducing promotions to clear their stock quickly.
Photos and videos circulating online have also shown durian stalls packed with baskets of fruits, with some customers seen buying them in large quantities.
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Some places are selling even cheaper
While some sellers are offering durians from around RM5 per fruit, several reports have also claimed that prices in certain areas have dropped even further.
Local durians have reportedly been sold for as low as RM2 per fruit, while ordinary kampung durians were even said to be going for around 50 sen each at some stalls.
Premium varieties have also seen a major price cut, with Musang King reportedly spotted at lower prices compared to its usual market rate.
Good news for durian fans, tough time for sellers
For customers, the price drop means they can finally enjoy durian without burning a hole in their wallet.
However, for sellers and growers, the oversupply also means thinner profit margins, especially when production, labour, transport, and maintenance costs remain high.
Still, many Malaysians online appear to be taking full advantage of the situation, with some joking that this is the “once-in-a-lifetime” durian season they have been waiting for.
So if you have been craving durian but holding back because of the price, now might be the time to call your durian kaki and makan puas-puas.
FAMA says oversupply not because M’sians don’t want durian
According to the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA), the current durian oversupply is not due to weak demand for the fruit.
Instead, FAMA told The Sun that the situation was caused by export-grade cloned durians that failed to meet international market standards, as well as younger orchards producing lower-quality cloned varieties such as Musang King.
FAMA deputy director-general Faisal Iswardi Ismail also reportedly said the drop in cloned durian prices, which fell to around RM15 to RM20 per kg, has affected the prices of village durians nationwide.
To help farmers cope with the falling prices, FAMA has been buying affected village durians and processing them into paste and pulp at selected centres, including Besut, Jerantut, Sungai Petani, and Machang.
