KUALA TERENGGANU: Durian, the king of fruits, appears to be non-seasonal as far as Terengganu is concerned.
The crave for the luscious fruit is so strong even after the height of the season has passed, that people still throng stalls selling the fruit to savour it before it runs out of supply.
Durian was a traditional must during the Hari Raya Adilfitri and even Hari Raya Aidiladha festivals for decades.
Other local fruits like duku, salak, rambutan and mangosteen are also popular for gatherings and festive occasions, like weddings, thanksgiving receptions and parties.
Traders like Ahmad Shukri Abdullah often make brisk business with durian and the other fruits, which act as additional income for them.
“As soon as supplies pour in from local orchards like in Jerteh and Kuala Berang, I stop accepting durians from outside of Terengganu like from Thailand, Pahang, Perak or even Johor which are more expensive, whether musang king, D101 or D24 varieties that fetch RM25 a fruit.
“This is not only to promote the local fruits but they have a distinct taste and are preferred by the people here,” said Shukri, who has been plying his trade at the Pasar Payang for 30 years.
Shukri also helps out his wife Rosila Yasin, 49, sell keropok lekor at the market.
Shukri’s assistant Alias Mahmud, 34, people favoured to buy a group of five to seven durians for RM10 in total at the stall which operates from 9am till midnight daily.
“Sometimes sales is good and at times poor, especially during Ramadan. For instance, we are able to sell up to three tonnes of durians a day on a profitable period.
“Business is just like low and high tide,” said Alias.
Alias added that for this reason, they sold durians at attractive prices so as to push for better sales.
“Besides, we cannot keep the fruits for long as they will ferment. That is why we sell the durians for a song later at night to clear the stock before we close for business for the day,” he said.
Embong Mat Amin, 68, a trader at Pasar Chabang Tiga, said he could earn RM400 a day by selling durians obtained from local orchards.
“I personally go to the orchards with my son Mazlan, 35, to select the fruits. This way, I will know which are the good quality ones which my customers demand,” said Mazlan.