Durian season is here!
No matter how many times Malaysians taste durian, we’ll always crave for more of that sweet and somewhat bitter yellow flesh every time durian season comes around. We’ll even wait in line and spend big money just to get the aromatic and pungent-smelling fruit from the most-talked-about durian stall in town.
As much as Malaysians love their durian, they surely can’t beat the Thais, some of whom are willing to pay close to RM200,000 for a single durian fruit!
At an auction in Thailand, one particularly precious durian of the kanyao variety drew dozens of wealthy fruit lovers to an auction at the King Of Durian 2019 festival in Nonthaburi, central Thailand. This variation of durian is apparently the most expensive in the world, and commands a minimum price of 20,000 baht (RM2,650) per fruit, reported CNA.
Source: YouTube
Source: YouTube
Officials handpicked the luxury durian one day before the event from a nearby farm, choosing it for its perfect size, shape and ripeness, before auctioning it off for 1.5 million baht (RM200,000). That eye-popping amount even beats the previous year’s record of 800,000 baht (RM106,000) by almost double.
Models paraded the fruit on red and gold velvet pillows at the event, which included nine other durians from the Monthong, Kanyao and Kop Med Tao varieties, with one particular fruit fetching more than 300,000 baht (RM40,000).
Source: YouTube
”I knew this was a very special durian but I was amazed at how much it sold for. I was expecting one million baht, so for it to sell more is very good,” said Maliwan Han Chai Thai, who runs the Pa Toi Lung Mu farm where the RM200,000 durian was grown.
At the end of the auction, the kanyao durian was sold to a wealthy local businessman.
”I hope the high bidder enjoys eating the durian. This variety is the tastiest in the world and we will keep growing them,” said Maliwan Han Chai Thai.
Source: YouTube
Altogether, the event managed to collect 4.5 million baht (RM600,000) that will be passed back to the farmers and donated to local charities in order to buy medical equipment for hospitals.
Wow, who knew people could be so obsessed with the ‘perfect’ durian that they’re willing to pay RM200,000 for it? Are you a durian lover dedicated enough to go to that extent? Let us know on a scale of 1-10 how much of a durian lover you are in the comments below!
Also read: Musang King Prices Dropped Over 40% to RM20 Per Kg This Durian Season!
