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Agence France-Presse

When a coronavirus lockdown confined Malaysians to their homes and shut roadside durian stalls, sellers were unsure if customers would take to ordering the beloved fruit online.
Motorbike and car deliveries were still allowed, however, and companies such as Dulai Fruits Enterprise turned to social media to market their frozen durians.
Eric Chan, managing director of Dulai Fruits, said he had been sceptical the move would work as Malaysians typically prefer their durians fresh, and a previous bid to sell them online had limited success.
But the company has seen roaring trade, with Chan saying: “By the fifth day of our sales, we (had) hundreds of orders every single day.”
There is room to grow, and room to grow fast
Tan Sue Sian, Top Fruits
Grown across tropical Southeast Asia, the durian is hailed by aficionados as the “king of fruits” due to its creamy, golden flesh and bittersweet flavour.
Durians in Malaysia can cost more than 60 ringgit (US$14) a kilogram, and there are 137 officially registered varieties ranging from “Musang King” to “Black Thorn” and “Red Prawn”.
Durian trader Top Fruits has been selling prepared durian in sealed, 300-gram packs on Facebook, and was making about 80 deliveries a day during the lockdown, which began mid-March.

Managing director Tan Sue Sian said customers had come to see the advantages of having the fruit delivered to their door.
“You don’t have to worry about your car being smelly” after transporting the fruit, said Tan.
Online sales of the fruit in Malaysia have since slowed after restrictions were eased at the start of May, as durian lovers gradually returned to outdoor stalls.
Malaysia has seen a relatively small coronavirus outbreak, recording almost 9,000 cases and 124 deaths.

Online orders are still only a fraction of business for durian traders, with the bulk going to exporters – the fruit is particularly popular in China – and local shops, but they are hopeful about future prospects.
“There is room to grow, and room to grow fast,” Tan said.
Lindsay Gasik, who has written a number of books about the fruit, said it was about time that buying durians online took off.
Durian gentrification: don’t sniff, it’s Malaysia’s soft power plan
“I think once the supply chain and logistics got into place, people realised that it wasn’t that difficult to sell durians online,” she said.
She said aside from making it easier for people to get their durian fix via deliveries, online selling was also exposing them to more varieties and farms.
“It isn’t just a better situation for customers, it is also for the farmers,” she said. “Selling durians online is definitely here to stay.”



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Malaysia

Coronavirus: Malaysia’s durian sellers saw boom in online orders during lockdown

Durian sellers moved their fruit online during the lockdown, and saw hundreds of orders a day. Photo: Agence France-Presse

This picture taken on July 8, 2020 shows a worker cleaning a durian in Kuala Lumpur. - When a coronavirus lockdown confined Malaysians to their homes, street traders selling durians moved their pungent produce online -- and have been enjoying an unexpected spike in demand. (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP) / To go with "MALAYSIA-HEALTH-VIRUS-FOOD-BUSINESS-DURIAN,FOCUS" by Patrick Lee

This picture taken on July 8, 2020 shows a worker using a calculator at a durian shop in Kuala Lumpur. - When a coronavirus lockdown confined Malaysians to their homes, street traders selling durians moved their pungent produce online -- and have been enjoying an unexpected spike in demand. (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP) / To go with "MALAYSIA-HEALTH-VIRUS-FOOD-BUSINESS-DURIAN,FOCUS" by Patrick Lee

Australian library evacuated after the smell of durian was mistaken for a gas leak

Durian’s extremely pungent – often reviled – odour means the fruit is often banned from hotels and public transport across Asia. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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Kriza Calumba crafted an ale and used durian to preserve the probiotic micro-organism lactobacillus. Photo: Handout

Musang King is also known as 'Mao Shan Wang' or 'Sleeping Cat' after the shape of the freshly opened fruit. Photo: Vkeong.com

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China’s insatiable appetite for durian swallows Malaysian tribal lands

Durian hybrid Musang King is also known as ‘mao shan wang’ (sleeping cat) due to the shape of the freshly opened fruit. Photo: Vkeong.com

Photo: Alamy

Mustafa Along, chairs the JKOAK. Photo: Ceritalah

10,000 acres of land have been set aside for the durian orchards. This site is by Pos Simpor. Photo: JKOAK

The Nenggiri river water is opaque and turbid, like milky coffee. Fish no longer swim in the water and it is undrinkable. Photo: Team Ceritalah

Shariffa Sabrina, President of PEKA, applauds the government for this unprecedented move. Photo: Team Ceritalah

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In Indonesia, durians – the smelly “king of fruit” – can be found without spikes.

A local official points towards a Durian tree, from where the bald durian grows, Lombok Indonesia.[22APRIL2020 FEATURES]

--A normal durian--Durian fruit for sale on a roadside stall, Lombok, Indonesia (Photo by In Pictures Ltd./Corbis via Getty Images)[23APRIL2020 FEATURES]CREDIT: Getty Images

Durian gentrification: don’t sniff, it’s Malaysia’s soft power plan to become Musang King of the world

Durians: like fine wine? Photo: Xiaomei Chen

A durian pizza is seen at La Cesar Pizzaria in Shanghai, China November 2, 2018. Picture taken November 2, 2018. REUTERS/Aly Song

This handout image show Durian cheese baked big-head shrimp by Thai Yuen. Photo / HANDOUT [24JUNE2016 FEATURES FOOD & DRINK]

This image shows exterior of durian specialists Musang King, deserts and ice-cream created with durian, based in Yuen Long. 07AUG14 [21AUGUST2014 LEAD FEATURE 2 48HRS]

BAN99:CHANTABURI,THAILAND,13MAY97 - A durian vendor waits for customers at a fruitstall in the eastern province of Chantaburi May 11. The fruit, which tastes sweet but has a very strong smell, is a favourite among Hong Kong and Taiwanese people. The two countries combined imported fresh durian from Thailand worth more than 800 million baht (32 million dollars) in 1996. aw/Photo by Apichart Weerawong REUTERS

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Asia

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Coronavirus


Malaysia’s lockdown failed to come between Malaysians and their durians, with the period seeing a boom in e-deliveries
Sellers say the online demand for durians is a promising development for the industry



Malaysia’s durian sellers saw a boom in online orders during the country’s coronavirus lockdown, in a development welcomed by the sector.


Food and Drinks

Coronavirus Malaysia

Coronavirus pandemic

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories