150 year old durian trees draw crowds to Trang, selling out daily

Residents and tourists are dashing to a 150-year-old durian orchard in Trang Province for its delicious, 50-baht-per-kilogram fruits. Demand has outpaced supply, with customers flocking to buy the durian varieties from this unique orchard of indigenous species.

Sathit Rammana, a 52 year old orchard owner from Trang Province, tends to a 1,000 year old tree orchard called Ta Chan. Sathit’s ancestors cultivated more than 60 native durian trees in the orchard, which spans 23 rai of land. Out of these, only two trees, named Chao Hua Laan and Chao Si Mok, are more than 150 years old. These trees are producing their first durian fruits of the season, which lasts 20 days from mid-May to early June. A second batch will follow in mid-June to July. Each tree yields approximately 20 to 30 fruits.

Now, new and old customers eagerly visit the orchard to buy durians at 50 baht per kilogramme, more affordable than last year. Before deciding to buy, customers can taste the premium-quality fruit, which has thick, yellow, fragrant, sweet, and smooth flesh like top-quality durian varieties. As demand outstrips supply, some customers must pre-order and return the next day to taste the 150-year-old durians.

Each durian tree in the orchard has a unique name based on its location and characteristics, including Chao Hua Laan, Chao Si Mok, Chao Kla, Chao Yao Chai Kuan, and Chao Man Chang, making them easily identifiable. This year, Sathit plans to enter his native durian in the first-ever durian competition in Trang Province on June 9. The competition aims to preserve the durian genetic heritage in line with the royal initiative of Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

This year, the orchard’s durians, ranging in age from 15 to over 150 years, will be harvested for three months. As a result, Sathit’s ancient durian trees’ delicious fruit will sell out quickly as customers rush to taste it.

People go wild for durian when it’s in season. Here’s the story of the Thai woman arrested for running a durian-related Internet scam.