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Source: https://tnp.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/first-harvest-chinese-durians-hit-market-june Known as China’s Hawaii, the Hainan Island is famous for its tropical beaches and its scenic golf courses. But the island, located at the southernmost point of China, is set to make its name for another product – durians. After four years of growing durian trees on the island, which is about 47 times the size of Singapore, some 2,450 tonnes of Hainan durians are set to make its debut in the market in June, according to local news reports. The reports did not state if the durians will be sold domestically or internationally. Quoting an unnamed officer from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Hainan Province, reports said that Sanya city stepped into durian cultivation in 2019. Durians can be grown on Hainan Island due to its climate, which is almost tropical with mild winters. Agricultural specialists from South-east Asia reportedly helped to plant the durian crop, while Chinese specialists improved the imported seeds to better suit local weather conditions. The city is trying to turn durian production into one of its key industries. Currently, about 670ha – or the size of about 938 football fields – of land in Sanya are devoted to the crop, with 20 per cent to 30 per cent of the trees beginning to bear fruit. The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Sanya is aiming to build a durian industrial estate spanning 3,333ha within the next three to five years. This is anticipated to generate an output value of 5 billion yuan (S$973 million) by 2028. Durians have been popular among Chinese consumers in recent years. This is particularly so among young people, according to data released by Jingdong Supermarket in November 2022. Over 60 per cent of durians in the country are bought by consumers aged between 16 and 35. China Daily reported that since 2019, the country has imported more fresh durians than cherries in quantity, cementing its place as the king of imported fruit. The Covid-19 pandemic, which affected global supply chain for an extended time in 2020, also did not lessen Chinese consumers’ love for the fruit. In 2017, China imported 224,400 tonnes of durian. In 2021, this increased to 821,500 tonnes , according to the General Administration of Customs in China. In 2022, durian is China’s number one imported fruit, reaching US$4.03 billion (S$5.4 billion) and a total import volume of 825,000 tonnes, according to data from the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CFNA). According to the CFNA, Thailand represented 96 per cent of China’s durian imports by value and 95 per cent of the total import volume in the past year. Other sources included the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia. Thailand is the world’s largest durian grower. In 2021, the country exported about 100 billion baht (S$3.9 billion) worth of the fruit to countries including China and South Korea. On Sunday, The Bangkok Post reported that China-grown durian should not have any serious impact on Thai durian exports, given limited supplies in China. Mr Sumit Khiawkhajee, secretary-general of the eastern chapter of the Federation of Thai SME was quoted in the report saying that the cultivation of durian in other countries, including Vietnam, Cambodia and China, had provided more competition. However, Thai durian remains in international demand, he said, adding that there is still high demand for the fruit from inland Chinese cities. Chinese people are willing to pay for Thai durian’s “pleasant taste” and viewed Thai durian as a premium product, he added. Analysts told SCMP that Chinese-grown durian could reduce domestic prices and boost international agricultural cooperation. Most tropical fruit in China are still imported and their taste is difficult to replicate, said Mr Weng Ming, a researcher at the Institute of Rural Development at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. “Figs, for example, are mainly produced in the Middle East and North Africa, and the taste of figs from Shandong, China, is nowhere near the taste of imports,” he said. Mr Weng added that China’s foray into durian growing “definitely won’t affect the durian industry in South-east Asia”. Singapore gets 89 per cent of its durians from Malaysia, with the rest coming from Thailand and the Philippines, according to the Singapore Food Agency in 2020. Prices of the fruit in Singapore are determined by various factors such as seasonal changes. For example, The Star reported on Sunday that Malaysia durians may be more costly in the next harvest season between May and July due to the floods in Johor which affected many orchards. Malaysia Fruit Farmers Association vice-president Francis Hong Sun Ho said: “We expect to see a drop of more than 50 per cent in durian production from Johor this year, and this will surely affect the price.”

Durian Stall In Pek Kio Is Hiring Buff Dudes To Help Keep Their Biceps Perpetually Firm With the recent announcement of gym closures, this durian stall is helping those looking to scratch that fitness itch with a quirky job opportunity. On 11 May, 99 Old Trees Durian posted an ad on their Facebook page, announcing their recruitment of ‘noobs’. To help them during the durian season, they are looking for extra hire to help them during the June-August period. You’ll get paid an hourly rate of $11, with a sign-up bonus of $500 and the potential to earn up to $3,500 monthly. Pek Kio durian stall hiring buff workers to work for 3 months As described in the ad, applicants will be working for a 3-month period from June to August. This coincides nicely with the next durian season, scheduled to come between May or June. Pay starts at $11 hourly, and you could even potentially earn up to $3,500 a month. This doesn’t even include the sign-up fee of $500. Applicants don’t need to have experience in handling durians as they’ll be training you with the basic skills of durian recognition, knife handling, and recognising fruit damage. Their search for noobs is the latest recruitment strategy that the folks at 99 Old Trees Durian have come up with. Ads seem to target gym rats If you’ve been hitting the gym, we think it will help immensely when you move troves of durians around. They even say so with their ads targeted at the gym-goers who are left wandering after the announcement of gym closures. The durian stall posted another 2 ads with hilarious themes. One was asking for someone ‘who knows pain’ and another who is looking to ‘get back’ at life when it gives you lemons. Durian shopping made easy 99 Old Trees Durian have streamlined their services, offering delivery or in-store pickups of their quality-assured durians straight from Pahang. If you’re planning to head down, here’s how to get to their store in Pek Kio. Address: 46 Owen Rd #01-277 Singapore, Singapore 210046 Opening Hours: Mon-Sun (12.30pm-9.30pm, Closed on Tues) Job hunters, gym aficionados or if you’re both — this seems like the perfect gig to put those muscles to work. Source: https://mustsharenews.com/durian-stall-hiring/

Timber tycoons with good connections with the Orang Asli are willing to pay about RM1,000 for a sample. Malaysia, November 16, 2010 UNDIGESTED durian fruits excreted by elephants may sound disgusting, but faecal fruit could well be the most expensive (and delicious) aphrodisiac from the jungle. As supply is scarce, it is learnt that timber tycoons with good connections with the Orang Asli are willing to pay about RM1,000 for a sample. Simply termed as "elephant durians", the fruits are collected the same way as kopi luwak (civet coffee) in Indonesia. While the natives in Sumatra trail after the civet in search for its faeces consisting of undigested coffee berries, the Jakun in Malaysian forests follow elephants which have swallowed durian fruits. They have to take the risk to follow the mammals for at least four hours, as this is the duration needed by the animals for digestion before the fruit is excreted with the faeces. Malaysia Nature Society advisor (Johor branch) Vincent Chow heard about this aphrodisiac from his timber tycoon friends and Orang Asli. He said timber tycoons will usually book in advance the fruits from the Orang Asli during the durian season. "The Orang Asli are willing to trail the animal because of the good money the excreted fruit can fetch. "Based on what Orang Asli tell us, the faeces of elephant smell like tea and is not smelly at all as the mammal is a herbivore. "Moreover, the fruit remains clean as no dirt or bacteria can penetrate the hard and fibrous husk within the short time span. "Tycoons claim that the fruit will become an aphrodisiac after passing through the elephant's digestive tract. "Although there is no scientific evidence to suggest so, the high demand and good price for the fruit speak for itself," he told Streets. Chow say elephants usually swallows more than one fruit at a time. It is learnt that elephants will roll the fruit on the jungle floor by using its foot to smoothen its thorny surface before rolling and wrapping it with grass and leaves from the jungle floor and swallowing it. The mammal usually swallows more than one fruit at a time. This is probably the second food item in the world consumed by human in the form of faeces. The first is the above mentioned civet coffee. It is said the beans of this coffee yield a fragrant aroma and tastes much less bitter, and widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world. http://www.soshiok.com/article/13783

Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story Durai out of jail By Judith Tan T.T. DURAI was released from jail on Monday morning after serving two-thirds of his three-month sentence for using a fake invoice to cheat the charity into paying $20,000 to an interior designer friend. He walked out of the Queenstown Remand Prison at 10.43 am, dressed in a white shirt and greyish dark pants. He seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight and his hair has turned a greyish white. He was greeted by his son and was quickly whisked away by a burly man into a waiting Hyundai Tucson car. Durai, 59, started his jail term on June 10, and was released after he was given a one-third remission of his sentence, most probably for 'good behaviour'. His journey to jail dated to July 2005 when a defamation suit he lost led to inquiries into the affairs of Singapore's biggest charity. Durai and the NKF board resigned en masse, and various government agencies went over the charity's books with a fine tooth comb. He lost a civil suit filed by the NKF's new leadership in February last year, and was ordered to pay $4 million back in damages. He has paid $1.4 million so far. Criminal charges were brought against him in 2006. His appeal against his conviction and sentence was turned down. http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNew...ory_266840.html fwah.... Queenstown really transform a person. He looks like 70+ then 59.