A thorny problem – durian orchard owners fear oversupply

 

Few takers for this orchard owner selling durians in his roadside stall in Balik Pulau, Penang. (Bernama pic)

GEORGE TOWN: Between June and August each year, durian orchard owners in Balik Pulau near here would rake in huge profits, thanks to the fans of the king of fruits who travel far and wide to get their hands on the best durians on sale.

However, following the implementation of the nationwide total lockdown starting yesterday, these orchard owners now face huge losses and an oversupply of the fruits if they cannot find ways to market them widely.

Shamsol Abdul Aziz, 34, who owns a 1.6ha durian orchard in Sungai Pinang, said he had invested more than RM120,000 on quality fertilisers and care for his durian trees last year, hoping for a better yield this season, adding that he was not alone because most orchard owners had invested large amounts on the maintenance of their durian trees.

He said the investment might increase the yield of his orchard up to 17 tonnes this year compared with 11 tonnes last year.

“However, due to the implementation of the total lockdown, I may face a loss of RM80,000,” he said today.

Before the movement restrictions, durians from his orchard would be marketed in nearly every state in Peninsular Malaysia, especially in Kuala Lumpur.

Shamsol, who has been in the business for 10 years, said durian traders had faced the same problem last year due to the enforcement of the movement control order that forced them to use various platforms, especially online, to ensure the fruits could be sold but they had not anticipated that the situation would be more critical this year.

He said sales on the Jom Beli Online platform introduced by the Penang Island City Council were not as brisk compared to offline sales.

Fellow trader Siti Hallimaton Ayob, 50, said she and her husband were forced to carry the fruits from their orchard to Sungai Dua as demand is higher there, adding that due to the 10km movement restriction, durian lovers could not buy the fruits directly from orchard owners in Balik Pulau.

This could lead to an oversupply of durians in the next two weeks, she said.

“I am grateful to the government for allowing traders to operate, but we have to resort to various ways to promote the durians, including making online sales and hiring delivery riders to send the fruits to buyers,” she said. - FMT