Durians from just $2 as season hits full swing, crowds snap them up
The durians this time are "delicious across all grades and varieties", said one vendor.
A durian supply glut has seen prices of the King of Fruit dropping to as low as $2 apiece.
At Top Durian Station in Jurong West, long queues formed in the sweltering heat last Sunday, with the spiked fruit going on sale at a starting price of just $2 each.
A crowd of about 70 gathered outside Block 964, Jurong West Street 91, to snag the deals.
"I'm only earning a dollar," one vendor was heard shouting as employees of the stall began unpacking the freshly arrived thorny fruit and displaying them according to their size and grade.
Mr Cai Minghong (transliterated), 26, a vendor at Top Durian Station, told Shin Min Daily News that the current batch is high in quality and reasonably priced, thanks to favourable harvest conditions.
In contrast, the previous supply had been affected by poor weather.
The durians this time are "delicious across all grades and varieties", he said.
Mr Cai is expecting an even bigger harvest in mid-July. The stall receives up to 5,000kg of durians daily, which are typically sold out by day's end.
"The Grade B stock of Musang King durians from Pahang, Malaysia, is going for a promotional price of just $12 a kilogram," said Mr Cai, down from the usual $15 per kilogram. The higher-quality Grade A is now going for $20 per kilogram.
At nearby Yi Durian, which also had a sizable crowd of customers, stall owner Xie Jinhui, 38, said he is also seeing strong demand, selling about 2,000kg of durians each day.
"This time, the durians in Johor and Pahang were harvested at the same time, so the output is very large, and the price is definitely more reasonable," said Mr Xie. "There are also many old tree durians," he added.
"Old tree durians" have darker-coloured flesh and a richer, more mellow flavour.
In the east, Li Xin Durian at Block 510, Bedok North Street 3 is also offering discounts. Grade B Musang King durians are now selling at $12 per kilogram, down from $15, said stall owner Li Lixin, 35.
"We can sell up to 2,000kg of durians every day. Even the kampung durian, which used to attract little attention from durian lovers, is selling well this time."
He added that it is a win-win situation for durian lovers and sellers.
"Our profit margins are smaller, but our turnover is quicker," he explained.