KUBANG PASU: Even the 'kings of durian', such as Musang King and Black Thorn varieties, are not spared from the prolonged dry spell brought by El Nino phenomenon.
The dry season this year has taken a severe beating to the majority of durian growers, including those cultivating high grade durian variants.
Chu Tiah Durian Orchard manager Ahmad Luqman Hakim Nor Azlan, 34, said production of Musang King and Black Thorn, two of the most expensive varieties on the market, plunged by almost 50 per cent.
"Last year we collected about 1,000 durians of various variants daily from our three orchards in this area, but the number has drastically dropped to some 500 fruits this year.
"The prolonged extreme heat weather has significantly affected the trees' pollination process, resulting in lower yield," he said at the orchard located in Changlun.
His father, Nor Azlan Jan, 63, owned a combined seven orchards in the area, where they planted some 5,000 durian trees comprising Musang King, Black Thorn, 'udang merah', hor lor, D28 and IOI variants.
Out of the seven, three of the orchards already producing durians.
Despite the drop in production, Luqman said they are maintaining the price of their durians.
The Black Thorn is being sold at RM75 per kilogramme for grade A fruit, as opposed to between RM100 to RM120 per kilogramme sold in the open market.
Luqman said they have sold some 600 black thorn durians since the harvesting season started early this month.
"We have regular customers and they have placed their bookings in advance before the harvesting season.
"We managed to sell at a lower market price since we sell them directly without going through the middlemen," he said.
Luqman said although the highest grade Black Thorn variant could fetch over RM100 each, it is still a hit among hardcore lovers.
Black Thorn durians are known for having a dense but soft, tender, and light consistency with high sugar and fat content, contributing to an intense, complex flavour.
Durian production in Kedah took a plunge this year following the prolonged dry spell brought by the El Nino phenomenon in recent months.
It was reported earlier that durian production in Kedah is expected to fall by 20 to 30 per cent due to the hot weather.
Kedah Agriculture director Ramli Abdul Rahman had said durian trees do not require a lot of water, but if there is none at all, even decades-old trees could die.
