by BERNAMA

KUALA TERENGGANU – A trader here is able to rake in around RM10,000 to RM15,000 a day by selling online various types of durians with the skins peeled off.

Mohamad Hakim Fahmi Awang, 40, said resorting to this was the best initiative in facing the ongoing COVID-19 prevention Movement Control, which made it difficult for customers to go out to get their “fix” of the King of Fruits.

“I started the business last year. At first it was quite difficult to get customers because they doubted the quality of durian flesh sold in containers and thought would not be as fresh as the fruit sold with the skin.

“However, Alhamdulillah (thanks to Allah), within a week, customers started praising (the quality) and spreading it on social media,” he said when met by reporters at his shop in Kampung Ladang here.

Mohamad Hakim said the majority of his customers were those who surfed Facebook and that he is able to sell around 500 kilogrammes every day.

Among the types of durian that are the choice of his customers are Udang Merah, D29, Musang King, and IOI, which are sold in the range of RM70 to RM130 per kilogramme (kilo) depending on the grade.

“I place more importance on the quality of the fruit than quantity. Fruits that are not good will be separated and sold at a price of around RM20 to RM30 per kilo to be made into tempoyak (an appetiser),” he said.

He also allows his customers to return the durians they buy if they are found to be bad and will replace them.

Apart from selling durians from his shop, he makes the deliveries by using runners to his customers, even as far away as Hulu Terengganu, Marang and Kuala Nerus.

“Right now, the demand for durians sold without skins is increasing and recently I was quite excited when I found out that one of my customers is the Sultanah of Terengganu Sultanah Nur Zahirah.

“I only found out about it when I was contacted by her personal assistant who asked about the stocks of fresh durians being sold (from my shop),” he added.