Durians from Thailand cause drop in local durian sales

KANGAR: Sales of local durians have dropped this season as customers and durian lovers in the state prefer those from the neighbouring country.

Durian seller in Seriab, Syed Alkhaled Syed Ali, 32, claimed that the sales of local durians at his stall dropped by 70 per cent from the previous season.

"Many people buy 'Durian Thai' (durians from Thailand) because they are cheaper than local durians

"Thai durian is priced around RM15 per kilogramme, much lower than local durians which is sold at between RM23 and RM70 per kilogramme depending on the type of durian and the quality of the fruit," he told Bernama today.

The father of two, who started selling durians two years ago, however, said some of his customers preferred local durians because they were sweeter in flavour.

"Even though sales are declining, I still choose to sell local durians for the satisfaction of durian lovers here," he said.

Sharing the same sentiment, another durian seller Muhamad Haikal Amin, 38, said that the increase in local durian prices every year made him to focus on selling Thai durians this year.

"Most of my customers will ask for Thai durians because they are cheaper, so this year I am selling more Thai durians than locally-grown ones," he said.

According to him, although the response for durians from the neighbouring country has been overwhelming, he still sells the durian kampung variety as an option to consumers.

Private sector worker Rashid Omar, 45, said local durians had always been his preferred choice because they are usually stronger in taste and smell.

"Yesterday I bought 'durian siam' (durians from Thailand) as I haven't had it in a long time. Although it has a beatiful yellow colour flesh, it cannot beat the taste of local durians.

"Everyone has different tastes and it all depends on customers' affordability because the price of local durian is quite expensive," said the father of two.

-- BERNAMA