Huat ah: Durians likely to stay in season till Chinese New Year, here's why

With Chinese New Year coming in early February, some of us may have already started planning for our upcoming reunion dinners. 

And this year, we may be able to include durian on the menu. 

Yes, several durian breeds such as Musang King may be in season during that period. 

But why so? 

According to an article by Shin Min Daily News on Monday (Jan 1), changes in the weather have affected the durian season, which usually has its first wave in June to August and a second wave in October to November. 

Normally, the second wave has fewer durian varieties available. 

Speaking to the Chinese daily, the owner of Combat Durian at Rangoon Road shared that the durian quality and supply have become hard to predict because of repeated weather changes. 

But Shin Min Daily News shared that there have been reports that the current durian season will last until the Chinese New Year period in February this year, and prices are expected to stabilise around then. 

Some varieties available: D17 and Mao Shan Wang 

To understand more, AsiaOne spoke to Kelvin Tan, durian seller and co-founder of 99 Old Trees Durian. 

Kelvin confirmed that some durian varieties (or cultivars) from Johor, such as D13, D17 and Mao Shan Wang, will remain in season till as late as February. 

He also observed that the durian seasons have been changing over time. 

"Last couple of years we noticed a significant delay in the season timing," he said. 

"[This is] due mainly to unexpected high rainfall in March and April, which was supposed to be a dry period." 

He further explained that wet weather conditions slow down the growth of the fruit. 

"During the flowering period, durian trees require a certain period of dry weather to stimulate flowering. High rainfall prevents that from happening," added Kelvin. 

While durians are still in season, Kelvin does not have any intention to bring in any of the fruit as it is a "pretty small season". 

"Quality-wise, it will also not be as good as the mid-year period," he revealed.

He added that his business was slow last November as many people were overseas, but this picked up towards the end of December. 

China has started growing their own durian too 

During durian season, most foodies would flock to countries that produce it to enjoy the fruit, such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. 

And now, China may be a new destination for fans of the thorny fruit. 

For the past four years, the Chinese have grown durian trees on Hainan Island and aim to turn durian production into one of its key industries. 

Currently, about 670 hectares in Sanya, a city in Hainan Island, is devoted to the crop. 

According to data released by Jingdong Supermarket in November 2022, the king of fruit has become more popular among Chinese consumers in recent years and more than 60 per cent of durians in China are bought by consumers aged between 16 and 35.

ALSO READ: Most expensive durian in the world? Musang King auctioned off for $52.5k in Malaysia

melissateo@asiaone.com