Singapore's peak durian season hit as Johor drought hurts supplies

SINGAPORE: Durian lovers in the Republic may have to wait a little longer to get a taste of quality fruits from across the Causeway, after a prolonged dry spell affected crops and delayed the peak season for Johor supplies by more than a month.

Plantation owners and suppliers Channel NewsAsia spoke to said the first batch of durians harvested in Johor this year has been much smaller than normal. A further problem is that the quality is inconsistent, and some are looking further north to compensate.

FEWER DURIANS IN SOUTHERN MALAYSIA

Top Fruits has about 3,000 durian trees in its orchard in Johor, making it one of the largest plantations in Malaysia. Its co-owner, Mr Tan Sue Sian, said the number of durians in the first batch of this year's harvest is down by as much as 70 per cent compared to last year.

Mr Tan said: "For the budding and flowering, it has to be hot and humid for them to bud out. When it buds, it comes out like a matchstick. During this period, it should be very hot. But once it starts flowering, we should have some water coming in. If there is no rainwater during that period, the whole thing will drop and will not successfully bear fruit. In March and April, when it is supposed to be flowering time, there was no rain water. So the success rate in getting the fruits was very small, and that is why the crop has been smaller in quantity and size."

Mr Tan said he has had to increase the price of his durians by about 30 per cent. His company exports the fruit to countries including Singapore and China.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-s-peak-durian/2811880.html