A Durian Has Been Auctioned Off at a Price of SGD$65K

When it comes to expensive fruits, you’d have thought that Japan comes in first. After all, the land of the rising sun is expensive to go to.

They sell square watermelons at US$150 (S$204)

And ruby grapes ranging at prices ranging up to US$4,000 ($5,465).

But they’re not the only country doing that.

Thailand

Now, let’s look at the opposite end of the spectrum: the land of smiles.

Singaporeans love going to Thailand because it’s nearby and everything’s cheap.

But not when it comes to durian.

Or at least, this particular durian.

Kanyao Durian

Now, bring your eyes away from this pretty model and the old man taking a photo (presumedly of the model) towards the durian.

You’d think, okay, the stem’s pretty long. And it looks like a gourd.

This, my dear durian-loving friends, is the rare-like-mew durian, the Kanyao durian.

They have a long stem, a bottom-heavy body shape and is one of the more expensive varieties of durian in Thailand.

Tender Loving Care

Each tree is limited to three or four kanyao durians only so that maximum nutrients is ensured for every fruit.

And during their growing process, the durian orchard takes painstaking efforts to protect the fruit.

Every individual fruit is covered with netting and plastic to prevent pests from getting to them.

And umbrellas are deployed to protect the fruits from the intense tropical sun.

So yes, you could say these durians have a better life than most people out there.

But To Cost $65,000?

A typical Kanyao Durian goes for US$600 (S$819).

But this particular Kanyao was deemed to have the “perfect size, shape and ripeness”.

According to legends, it was hand-picked form Pa Toi Lung Mu, a durian orchard, one day before the auction.

It appeared at the King of Durian festival in Nonthaburi on 1 June 2019 and was auctioned off for US$48,000 (S$65,581).

That’s right. More than what most of us earn in a single year. Boss, hint, hint.

And if you’re thinking a price like this isn’t common, last year’s record selling price was 800,000 baht (S$34,768).

Yes, still in the five-digit realm.

Also For Charity

This year, money generated from the auction is 4.5 million baht (S$195,402). Yes, it’s all about durian.

Most of the money was reportedly paid to the farmers while a small part of it is given to charity.

Which is pretty relieving because, well, you’ve heard about how farmers (or the first step of the food chain) always gets shortchanged.