'Falling from the tree every day': Musang King hits $10 per kg thanks to bumper crop

The recent hot and sticky weather might be annoying for those out and about, but durian lovers are rejoicing.

The thorny treasures from Malaysia are going for cheap, with several durian vendors experiencing a bountiful harvest earlier than usual.

Torrence Chua, who runs Top Durian Station, told AsiaOne on Tuesday (Feb 27) that he is selling Musang King for $10 per kilogram at his Jurong West stall.

Chua decided to run the promotion after noticing a bumper crop at his farm in Johor Bahru. The durian season typically begins in June.

But the durian seller lamented that business remains slow even with this "good deal".

"Not many customers know that durians are now in season," Chua said, adding that durians are "falling from the tree in his farm every day".

"They will spoil if we don't sell them off. So we might as well run this promotion for our customers to enjoy."

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Alvin Teoh, who owns Durian 36 in Geylang, said that durian harvest at farms in Johor Bahru and Pahang are flourishing in recent weeks due to the sunny weather.

Musang King and Red Shrimp are usually sold by the kilogram, but now they are sold by the piece and each customer is given a 30 per cent discount," he said.

Teoh said that aside from the weekends where there are 30 per cent more customers, business has been "very quiet".

"Maybe they spent too much during the Chinese New Year," he quipped, adding that he hopes that business will pick up when durian peak season hits around June to August.

Meanwhile, the owner of Ah Seng Durian - with outlets in Ghim Moh and Bukit Merah - said that it is "hard to say" if prices of the fruit will go down further. 

"Supply is short now," he said. "This is still not the real durian season." 

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

chingshijie@asiaone.com