KUALA LIPIS: Fortune is smiling on Orang Asli farmers in several villages in Pos Titom, here when their 'kampung' type durian trees are bearing a lot of fruits of late.
Between 600 and 1,000 kilogrammes of 'the king of fruits' can be collected daily for sale to several wholesalers.
For Asun Salleh, 29, durian in the Pos Titom area began dropping from trees last week and the numbers are increasing, prompting wholesalers to drop by despite having to make the long trip.
He said four-wheel-drive vehicles that come to pick up durians need to travel between two and three hours. If it rains, they have to spend the night in the forest because of the slippery road and fallen trees blocking their path.
Asun said as a fruit supplier, he buys the durians from growers between RM2 and RM3 per kilogramme and sells to wholesalers at RM3.50 to RM4 per kilogramme depending on the quality and size of the fruit.
"This year the (durian) growers at Pos Titom are lucky as the durians are (fruiting and) dropping outside the season, which allows them to earn more because of higher selling prices than before.
"Previously, durians were sold between RM0.50 and RM1 each. There was an over-supply of the fruit that could not be marketed because wholesalers were not interested in buying," he said, here yesterday.
He said, before this, tourists at Pos Titom provided an opportunity for farmers to sell directly to them but due to the Movement Control Order, there were no tourists.
Asun said, apart from durians, the residents also sell other forest products such as the 'perah' fruit which is also fruiting a lot, being sold between RM1 and RM2 per kilogramme.
"Durian fruiting at Pos Titom will end at the end of this month. Here, there are only the 'Kampung' type of durians. Residents do not plant clone durians because of the high price of its seeds and it is difficult to get them, "he said.