Despite high costs, durian vendors suffer with low sales

The majority of the sellers interviewed stated that the high price was caused by a poor harvest and bulk buying from Chinese industrial plants, which bulk-buy the majority of the durian yield, further reducing local availability.

According to Jocelyn Renoso, a durian vendor at Magsaysay, their income has remained quite consistent throughout the last week. However, he stated that this is significantly lower than in 2019, when the Kadayawann was enlarged into a month-long festival.

During the normal harvest season, durian prices might range from P40/kg to P50/kg at Bankerohan Public Market and around P80/kg for premium varieties at Magsaysay Fruit Stand.

"Mas nihit karon. Medyo mingaw kaayo kon itandi sa mga milabayng tuig (There are few customers this year, compared to the previous years)," he said.

Sally Sampang, another vendor, blamed the high price of durian for the low customer.

"Kinsa bay ganahan mukaon og durian nga mukabat og P150 per kilo? Imbes ikaon nimo'g durian, pwede na kana nimo ipangpalit og duha ka kilo nga bugas (Who would want to buy durian at a price of P150 per kilo? Instead of buying, why not spend it buying two kilos of rice)," Sampang said.

He also said the recent oil price hike contributing to the rise of prices of basic goods and commodities had also been a factor as to why some of their customers would be hesitant to buy.

On Monday, the 37th Kadayawan sa Davao formally kicked off, marking the first face-to-face celebration of the annual event after two years it was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Both Renoso and Sampang are optimistic that they could cope with their losses with the influx of tourists this Kadayawan.

However, they expect that their income won't be the same as compared the previous years.

The City Agriculturist’s Office (Cagro) noted that the production of durian in Davao City this year has been lower compared to previous years because of the unstable weather conditions.

An unusually low yield of only 3,000 metric tons of durian was harvested for the first half of the year, according to Cagro head Edgardo Haspe during the I-Speak media forum at Davao City Hall on July 28, 2022.

He explained that the months of March to May are the supposed dry season but this year, persistent rains occurred which hampered most durian trees to bloom and bear fruit.

The annual production of durian in Davao City in time for the Kadayawan season usually reaches 12,000 metric tons. Last year, 12,930 metric tons of durian were produced, at least 17,000 metric tons in 2020, and around 15,000 metric tons in 2019.

To cover the supply deficit needed for the anticipated 50,000 tourists for Kadayawan, Haspe said the city is in talks with durian growers from other regions and provinces to import durian into Davao City.