CHEAPER DURIANS
"Durians are cheaper now. (This is the case for) all brands, from Red Prawn to Mao Shan Wang … we have a bit more customers, because the prices are better," said Mr Tan Wee Siang, 36, who operates durian stall Wang Sheng Li 95 at Bishan.
"Our best seller is the Mao Shan Wang. We're selling it for S$12 per kg. It's usually S$18, and sometimes it can even go above S$20. For the Black Gold type, it's S$18 per kg. Buy five, get one free."
Over at an unnamed stall located in front of Citizen Dental Surgery at Bangkit Road's market, 51-year-old stallholder Soh Say Lai has also seen prices drop.
For instance, his Mao Shan Wang durians go for S$15 per kg, when they would usually sell for S$18 to S$20, he told CNA.
"However, I see less customers than last year. Probably because people can go overseas now, so they choose to go overseas to eat," he added.
This year's durian season has also seen brothers Tim Soh and Sam Soh from D-Fruit sell their durians cheaper.
For example, their Mao Shan Wang is going for S$13 per kg, and their Black Gold durian type is selling for S$18. The latter would usually cost more than S$20, the brothers told CNA in Mandarin.
"The lower prices are because there is suddenly a greater durian haul (from Johor). In April, it kept raining, then in May and June it stopped raining and was very hot. So the durians dropped faster. Usually they drop slowly," said Sam, who heads the D-Fruit branch over at Bangkit Road in Bukit Panjang.
These factors, combined with the supply from Pahang that "coincidentally" came at the same time this year, resulted in cheaper prices, he added.
"(Despite the lower price, there are) not really more customers, because some have run to Malaysia to eat. But going there to eat isn't cheap either," said Tim, who manages the fruit stall's Choa Chu Kang branch.
Artmotion Asia
