Hot weather lifts coconut sales in Johor, but less than before as it became more readily available in Singapore

JOHOR BAHRU: The hot weather may have lifted coconut sales in Johor, but fruit sellers there said the increase isn’t anywhere near what they saw a few years ago, as coconuts have become more readily available to Singaporeans without having to cross the border.

Singaporeans, sellers said, made up a significant number of their customers.

Forty-four-year-old Tie Kian told The Star that before coconuts became more readily available in Singapore, he could sell at least 200 a day even when the weather was not as hot. During particularly hot weather six to seven years ago, that figure could reach 300 to 400.

These days, he sells around 100 coconuts daily despite the recent heat and haze. He said that, unlike before, when some of his Singaporean customers would drive to Johor to get fresh coconut water, they can now get it back home, even if they have to pay slightly more for it.

He said the same was happening with durians, as some Chinese customers who used to travel to Johor for them could now get the fruit more easily in China.

According to 38-year-old fruit store administrative clerk Choong Qi Hui, the spike in sales this time was “probably about 10%”, much lower than what they had seen before. She added that sales would also “go up and down from day to day”. Now they sell about 100 to 150 daily.

When asked about coconut supplies, she said that despite the haze, there had been no shortage so far. /TISG

Read also: ‘If you want to eat durians, don’t wait for the price to drop; durians don’t wait for you’: Singapore sellers say prices are rising again