Residents of Babo, Aceh destroy all flood-damaged durian trees

Aceh Tamiang, Aceh — Residents of Babo village, Aceh Tamiang district, Aceh, have decided to destroy all durian trees in the village that were damaged by flooding, as they can no longer produce fruit.

“After being hit by the flood, all the durian trees no longer bear fruit, their leaves have fallen, and the trunks have died,” said Babo Village Head Khairi Ramadhan when met by journalists in Babo village, Aceh Tamiang, on Tuesday.

He explained that before the flood on 26 November 2025, the durian trees belonging to residents located along the riverbank and around residential areas were quite productive. In fact, many durian supplies in regional markets came from Babo and were widely known as Babo Durian.

“We also do not understand what substance in the flood water caused the durian trees to die,” he said.

For this reason, the property owners agreed to destroy all durian trees affected by the flood since they could no longer be relied upon as a source of income. The felled tree trunks are also being sold back by the owners.

“So from this year onwards, Babo durian will rarely be found because we have indeed carried out mass destruction,” he said.

He added that the land previously used for durian cultivation will now be used for other productive crops to replace the source of income lost by residents.

Khairi also noted that the flood destroyed many palm oil plantations, causing some Babo residents to lose their source of income. Affected residents have had to switch occupations to become timber workers, cutting and transporting logs that are not illegal timber to ensure their household economic conditions remain stable after the disaster.