THE durian season in Balik Pulau, Penang’s most renowned place for harvesting the ‘King of Fruits,’ is tapering down.
During this time of the year, an influx of local and foreign tourists head to Penang to savour the delicious varieties of durian while visiting tourist spots on the island and mainland.
The demand for durian is rising every year, especially among international tourists, particularly from China, Indonesia, and Singapore.
However, due to the unpredictable weather, the supply is not as high as in previous years.
Checks by Buletin Mutiara on several stalls selling durians in the city centre found that the supply has been at the average level.
In Macalister Road, a stall owner, Teoh Di Yang, said the durian harvesting in Balik Pulau is coming to an end soon.
“After this, the durians from the mainland, especially in Jawi and Bukit Mertajam will be harvested. Hence, we expect the season to be prolonged for another few months.
“At the moment, many durian lovers from China, Indonesia, and even Singapore have flocked to my stall.
“As usual, I have a variety of durians, ranging from Black Thorn, Ang Heh, Tupai King, Musang King, Hor Lor, Red Kernel, Banana Farm, to Sultan King.
“Many of them prefer quality grade durians, such as Musang King, Black Thorn, and Ang Heh.
“For Musang King, I sell at RM65 per kilogramme for grade A, and RM55 per kilogramme for grade B. Now, the Tupai King durian is worth RM98 per kg,” she said when met this morning.
Teoh expects the crowd to build up during the evening session.
Over to Larut Road, a Johorean, who preferred to be known only as Sam, told Buletin Mutiara that his business has been brisk after operating the makeshift stall for the past month.
“Like other places, I have a variety of durians to offer to the people, including the well-known Black Thorn, Ang Heh, and Musang King.
“The demand is expected to continue about these two months before slowing down,” he said, adding that Tupai King is one of the new grade durians in the market.
On Burmah Road, a durian stall worker said the prolonged durian season is expected to continue, but at a slower pace.
“As my durian stall is situated near a hotel, most of my customers are tourists. However, the locals have been supportive as well,” he said, adding that previous durian seasons had been more promising compared to this year.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Law Suun Ting