Premium durians fall into the ‘net

Delicious bargain: Leow showing the freshly packed durians before delivering to her customers in Penang.

GEORGE TOWN: It sounds unbelievable but a box of branded durian that usually costs RM35 is now being sold for as low as 66 sen.

The attractive deal featuring Musang King and D24 is part of an online site’s super sale promotion that will end on Saturday.

One of the participating durian sellers, Leow E Shuen from Penang, said each box of durian would weigh between 300g and 380g.

“It’s the time to enjoy the King of Fruits. For this campaign, we are selling our branded durians at 66 sen per box.

“Usually, it costs between RM35 and RM38.

“We hope to build our brand and sell our products on more online platforms and bring our business to greater heights, ” said Leow.

Despite the movement control order (MCO), Leow said the demand for durians had been good this year.

She said many durian traders had turned to online platforms for sales while adhering to the new social norm.

“We received a lot of orders for our durian delivery service during the MCO and conditional MCO period.

“We first offered delivery services in 2018 but back then, many local and foreign tourists still preferred to dine in.

“And this year, we have no choice but to only cater to delivery. We have been delivering durians to our customers as far as Selangor.

“As our customers are adapting to the new norm of ordering durians online, we have to be innovative too, ” she said.

Durian seller L.Y. Ang said business has been good since he began selling online in April.

“Business was brisk from the beginning. I was selling through online platforms and there were agents who came to us for durians.

“It’s the peak season now and we are dealing with many wholesalers from Kuala Lumpur.

“Most of them are looking for branded durians such as Musang King, black thorn, hor lor, hong xia and green skin, ” he said.

According to the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama), there will be a lower-than-normal yield at below 300,000 metric tonnes this durian season due to the frequent rainfall and a lack of manpower to look after durian farms as a result of the MCO.

Besides, the prohibition of gathering by the roadside stalls and enjoying durian together also posed some challenges to the industry.

Above all these, it is actually an optimistic year for the durian industry as demand and consumption remain strong both locally and internationally.

Meanwhile, Shopee regional managing director Ian Ho said a wide range of durians such as D24 and Musang King would be available during the 66 sen super deal.

“Consumers simply need to stay tuned and get onto the platform at midnight. They will need to be fast as there will be limited quantity each day.

“If users miss that window, they can also look for other shocking deals throughout the campaign.

“Close to 500 packs of durians, including Capri, Hor Lor and Musang King, will be sold at attractive deals, starting from 15% off.

“Most of the products are vacuum packed as they are easy to be transported to the buyers, It also saves buyers the trouble of having to pry open the durians.

“Some sellers do sell the fruits as well, hence customers have various options based on their personal preference, ” he said. - Star