Demand for 'timun suri' low due to rain<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
For Jakartans, one of their favorite fruits to break the fast is
\ntimun suri, a kind of melon widely available during Ramadhan.<\/p>\n
The fruit is usually served with ice and syrup to make a sweet
\nthirst quencher for breaking the fast.<\/p>\n
Demand for timun suri usually starts two days prior to the
\nholy month. The fruit can be found in markets and sidewalk
\nstalls.<\/p>\n
The vendors usually get their supplies from farmers from Kebon
\nJeruk, West Jakarta; Parung, West Bogor; and Cirebon, West Java.<\/p>\n
In Kebon Jeruk and Parung, the farmers do not only supply
\nvendors in Jakarta. They also open stalls beside the roads
\nconnecting the suburbs to the capital, hoping that motorists will
\nbuy their harvests.<\/p>\n
These farmers, who usually plant vegetables, grow timun suri
\nat a certain time so the fruit can be harvested prior to
\nRamadhan.<\/p>\n
However, farmers and vendors this year will likely experience
\na slump in sales of the fruit.<\/p>\n
"The demand for timun suri is surprisingly small. I used to
\nsell the fruit for Rp 2,000 (23 U.S. cents) per kilogram at the
\nbeginning of the fasting month. Now I have to sell them for only
\nRp 1,000 per kilogram," Zaenal, a farmer from Kebon Jeruk, told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Zaenal and his fellow farmers in the area blamed the arrival
\nof rainy season for the drop in sales.<\/p>\n
"Rain has made the weather cooler so Muslims who fast don't
\nhave such a strong thirst anymore. That's why they reduced their
\nconsumption of timun suri as a thirst quencher," he said.<\/p>\n
Sondari, a vendor in Bendungan Hilir traditional market,
\nCentral Jakarta, echoed the complaints.<\/p>\n
"You can see that only a few timun suri have been sold today,"
\nhe said, pointing to a pile of the fruit.<\/p>\n
The vendor, who came from Cirebon with around 300 kilograms of
\ntimun suri, said that some of his fruit had started to turn sour.<\/p>\n
"When the fruit's skin starts to break, it means it is
\nstarting to decay and we have no choice but to throw it away," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The reduced demand has forced him to sell the fruit at Rp
\n1,000 per piece, around a kilogram, down from the usual price of
\nRp 2,000.<\/p>\n
"The profit will barely cover the cost of transporting the
\nfruit to the city."<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/demand-for-timun-suri-low-due-to-rain-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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