How to become a durian bankrupt

 

How to become a durian bankrupt.

For a 10 acre plot, owners spent a staggering RM120,000 per year on fertilizer, workers, and electricity. That is RM840,000 down the drain during the 7 year waiting period for the trees to mature.

Everyone wanted to catch the golden Musang King wave, ripping up tens of thousands of acres of palm oil estates.

The big 2026 harvest finally arrived.

Instead of a massive payday, farmers are getting slammed by a massive oversupply.

Because everyone had the exact same brilliant idea, the market is absolutely flooded.

But wait, isn't China supposed to buy everything?

China only wants the crown jewels, paying RM30 to RM40 per kg for flawless Grade A and AB fruits.

The massive, crushing oversupply drowning the local market right now comes from younger orchards and newly matured trees. These younger trees produce smaller, oddly shaped Grade C fruits that are instantly rejected for export due to strict customs rules.

Wholesalers in the Segamat to Pagoh area are offering a pathetic RM3 to RM5 per kg. With prices dropping 20% to 30% compared to 2025, a farmer cannot even cover his current monthly maintenance of RM1000 per acre.

It is a mad race to the bottom because a rotting durian pays zero ringgit.

Social media is covered in ads screaming about Musang King or Black Thorn going for RM7 or RM10 per kg, with some local varieties plunging to an insane RM2 per fruit.

Consumers are ecstatic, buying premium fruit for pocket change, while the farmers are quietly drowning.

Desperate owners are now dumping their land at a brutal 50% discount compared to just 2 years ago.

To survive, they only fertilize trees that show flowers and leave the rest to starve.

Life is incredibly hard for these farmers at the mercy of middlemen. The next time you see a ridiculously cheap promo, remember the financial ruin behind it. 

MY COMMENTS:

If our local, super hardworking Chinese durian farmers who dominate the market are selling their durian plantations for half the price then what about the Malay farmers? What about those corporate folks who tried to take over other people's durian trees for free? It looks like karma has come around full circle.

Everybody is now a durian farmer. I have six durian trees in my yard.  It is only 1/3 of an acre. They should be fruiting soon. I hope. 

Here is something else that should be happening. If durian kampong sells for RM6 per kilo (750 meters away in Nilai) then mangosteen sales (at RM8  to RM10 per kilo) will also be affected. Why would I buy mangosteen at RM10 per kilo when durian kampong is selling for RM6 per kilo? So logically the prices of all fruits will also be coming down. 

Otherwise there is going to be a lot of unsold mangosteens, unsold bananas (RM7 per kilo), unsold rambutans (RM10 to RM12  per kilo). This is the miracle of the free market. The consumer benefits the most from all the price competition.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.