Durian lovers, prepare your water and clutch your wallets tighter as Malaysia’s Deputy Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Ahmad Hamzah just announced that durian is expected to have a 100 per cent price increase for this year’s durian season.
(More huat for durian sellers I guess?)
Price Increase Expected for Premium Varieties
According to The Star, the price increase will mostly impact the premium varieties such as the Musang King and Black Thorn.
The Musang King is known for its extremely creamy and buttery texture whereas the Black Thorn is known to be the more bitter but light counterpart of the Musang King.
The reason behind the price hike is mainly due to the 50 per cent drop in durian production due to bad weather conditions in Malaysia.
These weather conditions include the rainy season that occurred by the end of March to April, which would have impacted the pollination of durian and affected the number of fruits produced, said Datuk Seri Ahmad.
Other Costs Included Aside From Low Produce Number
Aside from the weather, increased fertiliser and labour cost required for durian has also impacted the production of the king of fruits.
There’s also no limit imposed to control the price of the fruits as it depended on demand and supply, said Ahmad.
Prices for the Black Thorn variety are expected to exceed RM100 (SGD$32) per kilograms while the Musang King, or Mao Shan Wang, will be priced around RM60 to RM80 per kilogram depending on its grade. Previously, the Musang King was priced between RM30 to RM40 per kilogram.
Singapore is the third largest market for durians globally, importing more than 20 million kilograms of fresh durians a year.
Earlier in May, local Singapore durian sellers have expected the price increase to occur due to the same reasons cited by the Malaysian minister. However, the announced prices by the minister is higher than what was predicted beforehand by local sellers.
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