Austin Quak, 27, co-founder of the Rolling Durian shop on Kim Keat Avenue, said the popular Musang King, also known as Mao Shan Wang, now fetches S$28-S$32 (US$21.7-24.8) a kilogram, up from about S$20 last month when abundant supplies from Malaysia pushed prices lower.
“Prices will definitely keep climbing,” Quak told AsiaOnenoting that demand is higher while supplies tighten.
Musang King prices have also risen by at least 50% at the Dukrian! stall in Serangoon Gardens. Its founder Daren Chan expects prices to remain firm or even increase in the coming week as demand for the variety is typically high at this time of year.
Durians have many fans in Singapore, with Musang King being a particular favorite for its creamy texture and bittersweet flavor. The city-state imports most of its durians from Malaysia’s Johor and Pahang states, where the main harvest seasons typically run from June to July, and December.
Last month, harvests in Johor and Pahang coincided with those in other major growing regions, such as Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor, resulting in an oversupply.
The glut is believed to be the result of a decade-long surge in durian cultivation as Malaysian farmers shifted to the pungent fruit to capitalize on soaring demand from China, according to BBC.
The supply also made its way to Singapore, where the fruit was heavily discounted or even given away for free.
This photo taken on Jan. 23, 2018 shows durian fruit on sale in Singapore. Photo by AFP |
Alvin Teoh, who owns Durian 36, a popular shop in Geylang, said the harvest in Johor is coming to an end, leaving plantations in Pahang as the main source of supply.
“The supply is still there, but not much,” he told 8daysnoting that he began noticing supplies tighten as early as July 2.
He said durians’ short shelf life means a supply glut is usually brief. Once the harvest wave is over, output falls back to normal levels.
More supply, not always better fruit
Sellers said prices could ease again in early to mid-August, when a small season comes around in Pahang.
Even so, they cautioned that a larger supply does not necessarily result in better-quality fruit, as part of the recent bumper crop comes from younger trees at newer orchards. Such trees might need more years to start producing fruit with consistent quality.
“Don’t chase the lowest price, chase the best season,” Dukrian!’s Chan told AsiaOne. “Great durians are remembered long after the price is forgotten.”
Some durian lovers share a similar view. Chia, a retiree in Singapore who regularly buys the fruit for his family, said he previously came across Musang King durians selling for as little as S$12 per kilogram or less at some less reputable stalls during the glut, but found the quality lacking.
“They are cheap, small and odd-shaped, and the taste is not good… I suspect they are not even from Malaysia,” Chia told The Straits Times while he was at the Combat Durian stall in Rangoon Road last month.
“I would rather pay more and get a few good quality durians from Combat than (commit to) a whole basket.”
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