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

  • 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

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