KUALA LUMPUR: There will likely be lower-than-normal yield at below 300,000 tonnes during this durian season, according to the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama).
This would be due to Malaysia experiencing high rainfalls and farms lacking
manpower support because of the Movement Control Order, Fama said in a joint statement with Shopee today.
Additionally, the prohibition of communal activities like squatting by roadside stalls and digging one's fingers into soft, creamy yellow flesh as the country battles against Covid-19, was set to pose some challenges to the industry.
However, despite the slow global economy and all the challenges, Fama expects 2020 to be an optimistic year for the durian industry.
"Most durian sellers foresee demand to remain strong domestically and internationally especially from the Singaporean and Chinese markets with China's economy beginning to recover,' Fama said.
"Malaysians may not be able to enjoy it by the roadside this year but consumption will remain strong in line with their love for durian," it added.
Fama encouraged sellers to embrace e-commerce to boost their sales during the
challenging period.
Meanwhile, Shopee found that Malaysian durian sellers had been unperturbed by the
disruptions and are very progressive in their approach to e-commerce.
It noted a new and interesting trend as its platform had organically attracted durian farmers from across the country as they bring their offerings of D24, Musang King, XO, Hor Lor, Udang Merah and more online.
"Many have also gotten creative with their own campaigns like Duduk Rumah, Makan
Durian in order to stay relevant. Covid-19 has seen to be impacting businesses adversely in many ways beyond just sales," Shopee said.
Shan Cheng Durian that used to take tourists at its 12-acre farm in Balik Pulau, Penang, revealed that the virus outbreak had stopped tourists from visiting the farm.
Now, as they look for new ways of selling their harvest, they have to also think of innovative ways to keep the durians fresh and delicious.
""There are many things to consider when going online. Freshness of the durian is
one of them," said Leow E Shuen, co-founder and business manager of Shan Cheng Durian Penang.
"To ensure that our customers receive the best quality, we collect the durians from the farm in the morning, open and repack into boxes and vacuum pack them before it goes out for delivery on the same day. With so many sellers online competing for sales, it boils down to quality, service and price to win the crowd.".
For Mountain Cat Durian, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the sales of its processed products such as durian puffs and ice cream by 50 per cent.
This was due to the low business-to-business (B2B) demand from the bakery and confectionery sector, as well as the food and beverage merchants.
The Puchong-based company whose 20-acre farm is in Broga, Negri Sembilan
also experienced financial struggles from the overhead expenses such as labour and factory commitment.
"With our offline and B2B sales being hit amid rising cost pressures, we realised
it was time for us to explore an offline-to-online model to sustain the business and ensure that our durians do not go to waste," shared Ma Tuck Mun, founder of Mountain Cat.
"Prior to selling online, we only had a few orders in a month. But now on Shopee, we receive orders every day. The current circumstance is an eye opener for us - it showed us that we cannot be complacent in our approach by ignoring the digital world," he added.
Their Musang King pulp is currently their bestseller on Shopee.
Shopee said the keyword search for "durian" on its platform was beginning
to trend, signifying consumers' interest as the season kicks off.
In a bid to help the durian sellers sustain their incomes and give Malaysians their durian fix, Shopee will be featuring both Shan Cheng Durian and Mountain Cat, along with 500 other durian and fruit sellers in its 6.6 Super Sale from now to June 6.