Seasonal fruits galore in Kapit, vendors enjoy brisk sales

KAPIT (Dec 29): Seasonal fruits have hit the streets here, turning major traders’ sites across town into hives of activities.

At these places, the buyers can be seen bargaining for the best offers on durians, mangosteens, ‘dabai’ (local olives), ‘mata kucing’ (dragon’s eye longans), ‘buah lumok’ or ‘terap’ (tropical fruit resembling jackfruit, with soft rubbery spikes all over the rind and mushy flesh inside), rambai, langsat, and ‘mawang’ (wild mangoes).

It is reckoned that in season, these fruits are much less expensive than just a month ago, where a durian was RM50, half-kilogramme of dabai was RM30, and 1kg of rambutan was RM12.

Today, the farmers bring them to town in bulk: three numbers of durian go for between RM10 and RM20 depending on the quality; 1kg of dabai now goes from RM20 to RM30; while 1kg of langsat is between RM8 and RM10.

It is a season where it is a win-win for everyone: the visitors get to bring home tons of fruits, while the vendors and farmers enjoy brisk business.

Meanwhile, Kapit District Council (KDC) has made available several temporary trading places for the fruit sellers including a section behind the town’s Pos Malaysia building, the pedestrian section at SJKC Hock Lam, and a spot next to the CCK Cold Storage.

Chieng Siong Yeu, 70, was among many shoppers met at the CCK Cold Storage site on Sunday.

“I come here to buy durians, dabai and langsat, which are in abundance now and the prices are not so bad.

“I actually have my own orchard, by the problem is I am old now.

“My children won’t allow me to visit the farm because it is isolated – you have to go through the jungle to reach there.

“They tell me to just buy the fruits in town!” said Chieng with a smile.

The septuagenarian said he was happy with the bargains, which allowed him to buy varieties of fruits for his children.

“My children are working outside Kapit, but they are now here for a break, so I really want them to enjoy the durians and dabai,” he said.

Local community leader Kapitan Ling Hang Pin is another durian lover.

Yesterday, he was seen carrying baskets of the ‘King of Fruits’ to his car.

“It’s my favourite fruit,” he laughed, before sharing with the writer the story about his trip to the peninsula last month looking for the exquisite Musang King variety.

“I went with two friends.

“There, I spent over RM800 just for three pieces of Musang King!

“It’s definitely different from our local durians, in that the flesh is much thicker and the taste is extremely sweet.

“Our local ones: some are sweet, some bitter, and there are also those tasting like milk powder,” he added.