Pekanbaru's durian draws tourists<\/p>\n
Haidir Anwar Tanjung, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Riau<\/p>\n
For some people, durian is an absolute favorite, but many people
\nhate it due to its overpowering aroma.<\/p>\n
But in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau, durian is an attraction
\nfor both local or foreign tourists, mostly Singaporeans. Durian
\nlovers only need to walk along the sidewalks of Jl. Sudirman in
\nTangkerang area, where dozens of stalls offer the fruit.<\/p>\n
One of the durian sellers, Rizal, was seen ordering his six
\nemployees to select durian which had just arrived from Bangka
\nBelitung province. Large, good-quality durians were later seen
\ndisplayed on the racks to attract buyers.<\/p>\n
Customers dropping by the stalls can enjoy peeled durians of
\ntheir choice at the available tables. Some consumers prefer to
\neat durian by itself but others prefer to consume it with
\nglutinous rice and lemang (steamed grated cassava and coconut
\nwith palm sugar).<\/p>\n
\"Of course the price is different if the consumers ask for
\nlemang and glutinous rice,\" said Rizal.<\/p>\n
Each durian is currently offered at between Rp 16,000 (US$1.9)
\nand Rp 23,000, which is quite expensive since it is not the
\nharvest time in Riau. Consumers will be charged an additional Rp
\n2,500 if they ask for glutinous rice and lemang.<\/p>\n
Rizal and other durian sellers expect the durian harvest time
\nin Riau, West Sumatra and North Sumatra to come soon, hence
\nbringing down the price of durian. When the harvest time comes in
\nthose three provinces, a big and tasty durian is sold for only Rp
\n7,500.<\/p>\n
To maintain quality, vendors like Rizal only sell fresh fruit.<\/p>\n
\"If any consumers find the durian unpalatable, a new portion
\nwill be served without extra payment. This is to guarantee
\ncustomer satisfaction,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Durian at the stalls will be sold to open-air sidewalk sellers
\nlike Udin if they are not sold on the very same day.<\/p>\n
\"Unlike the durian stalls, we don't provide seats and tables
\nfor our consumers. We only serve passing buyers,\" said Udin, who
\nusually opens his stand from 4 p.m. until midnight.<\/p>\n
The price at the stalls is a little bit higher than sidewalk
\nsellers.<\/p>\n
But the leftovers can also be cooked into lempok (candied
\ndurian) and tempoyak (a salty condiment made of fermented
\ndurian).<\/p>\n
\"By cooking lempok and tempoyak, we can get extra income.
\nThey're both delicious. Many Jakartans order my tempoyak,\"
\nRizal's wife, Wati, said proudly.<\/p>\n
Wati also collects durian seeds to be sold to farmers outside
\nPekanbaru. A sack of around 3,000 seeds is sold at Rp 15,000.<\/p>\n
\"Farmers use local durian seeds to grow crops by crossbreeding
\nthem with Bangkok varieties to make the fruit tastier and harvest
\nearlier,\" she said.<\/p>\n
People may ask how is it that durian is always available in
\nPekanbaru, even when it is not harvest time in the province.<\/p>\n
The answer is the durian sellers' network throughout Sumatra
\nisland.<\/p>\n
Rizal said that durian agents in various provinces would
\nnotify him when the harvest time comes in their areas.<\/p>\n
\"We actually 'hunt' for durian from Aceh to Lampung because
\nconsumer demand in Pekanbaru is very high,\" he said.<\/p>\n
To transport durian from other provinces, Rizal deploys his
\ntwo pickups and six employees. The employees will spend two days
\nto buy durians from nearby provinces like West or North Sumatra.<\/p>\n
\"If they buy durian in Bengkulu or Lampung, they will have to
\nspend several more days,\" Rizal said.<\/p>\n
Instead of surveying various provinces, Rizal only needs to
\ncall durian agents before ordering his employees to transport the
\nfruits.<\/p>\n
\"In selling durian, just like any other business, it's very
\nimportant to keep good relationships and communication with
\nagents in various provinces,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Despite the existing business network, Rizal still surveys
\nother areas famous for durian, which are not included in his
\nnetwork.<\/p>\n
\"It's hard to survey durian in strange places. We must spend
\nextra time, money and energy. If we're lucky, we can buy big and
\ntasty durians. But if we're not, we go home empty-handed,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
One of Rizal's employees, Pardomuan, said he and other
\nemployees were often chased by groups of thugs when transporting
\ndurians<\/p>\n
However, such a risk must be faced in order to fulfill the
\nhigh demand for the fruit in Pekanbaru.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pekanbarus-durian-draws-tourists-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}