Vendors profit as heatwave sends watermelon sales soaring
Vendors in states such as Kelantan are seeing a surge in demand for watermelon as temperatures soar past 35°C. (Bernama pic)
KOTA BHARU : The hot weather that has hit the country in recent weeks has not only made people thirsty – it has also doubled the demand for juicy watermelon in states such as Kelantan.
Vendor Yushairan Hashim said watermelon juice is now the top choice among customers who want to quench their thirst or soothe their throats, despite the price of the fruit reaching RM3.50/kg.
'For the past three weeks, the demand for watermelon has been extraordinary at our second stall here, surpassing that for other fruits.
'For several days, I had to increase my stock to 15 metric tonnes to meet high customer demand,' the vendor in Kampung Padang Pak Omar, Selising told Bernama recently.
To ensure uninterrupted supply given that the harvest in Kelantan has been depleted, he procures watermelon from Johor, Perak, and several other states.
Yushairan predicts that the high demand will continue throughout this hot season, which is expected to end sometime in September.
'For watermelon vendors, this is a much-anticipated period. Better profits this season can cover losses during the previous period of oversupply, which led to dumping and price drops,' said the 33-year-old, who started his fruit business three years ago.
A worker at his stall, Maziaton Abdullah, added that she has no problem catering to customers, some of whom start arriving as early as 8am.
'The school-holiday and wedding season has also contributed to a surge in sales. Some customers buy hundreds of kg of watermelons for their events,' the 52-year-old said.
On Tuesday, the meteorological department reported that six districts across Perak, Kelantan and Kedah were at Level 1 (alert) following daily temperatures of between 35°C and 37°C.
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