Durian sellers said that a spike in supplies from Malaysian plantations contributed to an excess of durians, pulling the prices down. - Photo by SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS via The Straits Times/ANN
SINGAPORE, Dec 11 (The Straits Times/ANN): One kilogram of the highly popular Musang King durian is now going for as low as S$15 (RM48) to $16 (RM51), according to some durian sellers.
Durian sellers that The Straits Times spoke to said that a spike in supplies from Malaysian plantations in Pahang, Johor and Genting Highlands contributed to an excess of durians, pulling the prices down.
This is the most by which durian prices have dropped in 10 years even though there is a yearly seasonal fall in prices in December, said Ooi Meng Lee, 70, owner of 211 House of Durian in Toa Payoh.
AAA grade Musang King, which is the top tier of the durian variety, is going for $25 per kg at his shop, a 37 per cent fall from the $40 going price six months ago.
The normal-tier Musang King durian costs $16 per kg, down by 36 per cent from $25 six months ago.
His shop has seen sales rise by 40 per cent since the price drop.
“Business hasn’t been as good as the economy isn’t great right now. With inflation and the upcoming GST hike, people are tightening their belts more,” said Ooi, who has been selling durians for 25 years, referring to the rise in the goods and services tax to 8 per cent from Jan 1, 2023.
“But more people have been buying from my store nowadays due to the lower prices, so that’s very good.”
Steven Tan, a worker at SAM Fruit Trading in Ang Mo Kio, said that his shop has more durians as suppliers are currently not selling their stocks to China as they get rejected.
“I think the lower prices will last until Chinese New Year,” said Tan.
The prices of other varieties of durian at the shop have dropped by up to almost 50 per cent - the popular Black Gold durian now sells for about $18 to $20 per kg, down 43 per cent from $32 per kg six months ago.
The D24 durian sells for about $12 per kg, falling by 33 per cent from $18 six months ago.
Although durian prices have dropped, those who pay lower prices might get smaller durians, said a seller who wanted to remain anonymous.
“There are Musang King durians that are sold for $9 per kg, but they’re the really small ones,” he said.
Prices may also have dropped because there are fewer customers now, with many people overseas for the holiday season, said Ms Linda Ang, 56, owner of Combat Durian.
“Malaysia is also open now, so people can go there for durians instead of buying them locally. The lower demand leads to lowered prices too,” said Ang, who predicts that prices might rise again in a couple of weeks. - The Straits Times/ANN
