Malaysian durians hit market early with low prices

Malaysia’s recent hot and humid weather has caused some durians to ripen and reach the market earlier than usual. According to a report from Singaporean news outlet AsiaOne, Torrence Chua, who runs Top Durian Station, which has multiple durian stalls throughout Singapore, said on Feb. 27 that he was selling Musang King durians for just 10 Singapore dollars (US$7.45) per kilogram at his Jurong West stall. Although the durian season typically begins in June, Chua explained that the fruit have been dropping from the trees daily at his farm in Johor Bahru in Malaysia. Despite the unusually early harvest and low prices, he reported that sales have remained slow because few customers are aware of the availability of the fruit. The favorable weather conditions have also allowed durian farms in the Malaysian state of Pahang to begin harvesting in recent weeks. However, it is not yet the peak of the durian season, which typically occurs from June to August. In recent years, the Malaysian ...