Durians from Thailand cause drop in local durian sales

Sales of local durians have dropped this season as customers and durian lovers in the state prefer those from the neighbouring country.

本季当地榴莲的销量有所下降，因为该州的顾客和榴莲爱好者更喜欢来自邻国的榴莲。

Durian seller in Seriab, Syed Alkhaled Syed Ali, 32, claimed that the sales of local durians at his stall dropped by 70% from the previous season.

Seriab 的榴莲卖家、32 岁的 Syed Alkhaled Syed Ali 声称，他摊位上当地榴莲的销量比上一季下降了 70%。

"Many people buy 'Durian Thai' (durians from Thailand) because they are cheaper than local durians

“很多人买‘Durian Thai’（来自泰国的榴莲），因为它们比当地的榴莲便宜

"Thai durian is priced around RM15 per kilogramme, much lower than local durians which are sold at between RM23 and RM70 per kilogramme depending on the type of durian and the quality of the fruit," he told Bernama today.

“泰国榴莲的价格约为每公斤15令吉，远低于当地榴莲每公斤23至70令吉的价格，具体取决于榴莲的类型和水果的质量，”他今天告诉马新社。

The father of two, who started selling durians two years ago, however, said some of his customers preferred local durians because they were sweeter in flavour.

然而，两年前开始销售榴莲的两个孩子的父亲说，他的一些顾客更喜欢当地的榴莲，因为它们的味道更甜。

"Even though sales are declining, I still choose to sell local durians for the satisfaction of durian lovers here," he said.

他说：“虽然销量下滑，但我还是选择卖本地榴莲，让榴莲爱好者满意。”

Sharing the same sentiment, another durian seller Muhamad Haikal Amin, 38, said that the increase in local durian prices every year made him focus on selling Thai durians this year.

另一位 38 岁的榴莲卖家 Muhamad Haikal Amin 也有同样的看法，他表示，当地榴莲价格每年都在上涨，这让他今年专注于销售泰国榴莲。

"Most of my customers will ask for Thai durians because they are cheaper, so this year I am selling more Thai durians than locally-grown ones," he said.

他说：“我的大多数客户会要求泰国榴莲，因为它们更便宜，所以今年我卖的泰国榴莲比本地种植的还多。”

According to him, although the response for durians from the neighbouring country has been overwhelming, he still sells the durian kampung variety as an option to consumers.

据他介绍，尽管邻国榴莲的反应非常热烈，但他仍然将榴莲品种作为一种选择出售给消费者。

Private sector worker Rashid Omar, 45, said local durians had always been his preferred choice because they are usually stronger in taste and smell.

45 岁的私营部门工人拉希德奥马尔说，当地榴莲一直是他的首选，因为它们的味道和气味通常更浓。

"Yesterday I bought 'durian siam' (durians from Thailand) as I haven't had it in a long time. Although it has a beautiful yellow colour flesh, it cannot beat the taste of local durians.

“昨天买了'durian siam'（泰国榴莲），好久没吃了。虽然它的果肉很漂亮，黄色的果肉，却比不上当地榴莲的味道。”

"Everyone has different tastes and it all depends on customers' affordability because the price of local durian is quite expensive," said the father of two. 

“每个人的口味不同，这完全取决于客户的承受能力，因为当地榴莲的价格相当昂贵，”两个孩子的父亲说。