Premium Penang durian at affordable price by June

Durian orchard owner, Lai Kuan Beng, 50, said currently, Penang had more supply of durian than in other states and attributed this to the yielding period of the fruit in the state, which is in mid April or early May, depending on the weather.

"The price is high right now because there is little supply as the durian season has yet to reach its peak and most of the durian in Penang are also distributed to other states as well," he told Bernama when met at his orchard in Sungai Ara here.

He said other states, like Pahang, Negeri Sembilan and Johor, also had durian orchards, but the Penang durian was the most highly sought-after.

Lai said the weakening of the ringgit, high cost of foreign labour and increased price of fertiliser were among the contributors to the high price of the fruit.

"When the durian season began early this month, premium durian such as the Black Thorn was priced at RM100 per kilogramme (kg), Musang King RM75 per kg while Hor Lor and Red Prawn at RM50 per kg.

"Now the price has dropped and I anticipated that it will drop further when the state gets durian supply from other states beginning in June," he said.

Lai said June would be the best time for durian lovers to enjoy the fruit as the price would be lower then and with more choices to pick from, especially in Penang.

Meanwhile, a fruit store owner in Balik Pulau, Elvis Liew Min Long said for this week, he obtained his supply of more than five tonnes of durian daily from orchard owners in the area, which he then distributed to other fruit outlets, including in other states.

"We supply durians on daily basis to traders in various places such as Yan, Taiping, Kuala Lumpur and Muar. This week, the price is starting to drop," he added.