SIBU: It appears that the ‘dabai’ (canarium odontophyllum) season here and is on again. They are now on sale at the local central market although they are not as abundant as before.
Upon closer inspection, they are very expensive and sold by only a handful of hawkers.
They sell for between RM30 and RM60 per kilogramme compared to the usual RM10 to RM30 per kilogramme in the past.
A local hawker who preferred anonymity said the dabai fruit he was selling was bought by him from an orchard owner in Kanowit.
“More will come soon, may be in the middle or the end of this month when the fruit is fully ripe.
“What I am selling now are the fruits that were plucked at the end of last month. Therefore, they are very pricey because the supply is low,” he said when met at Sibu Central Market recently.
He further said that the prices depend on fruit sizes.
“If the fruits are soft and large, we sell them at RM60 per kilogramme. For the smallest fruits, we sell them at RM30 per kilogramme,” he said.
A ‘dabai’ lover, Mohd Saleman Ibrahim, said he could not resist buying the fruits at the market.
“I love the fruit. This time I am willing to buy the ones that cost RM40 per kilogramme. Maybe after this, the prices will go down when all the fruits in Kapit and Song have ripened,” he said.
A brief look-see at the market found many other visitors who also did not want to miss an opportunity to buy the fruit despite the high prices.
They said they were rather “blind” to the word “expensive” for a while as they want to savour their favourite fruit.
That’s a fancy way of describing a dabai addict who just become oblivious to most other things each time the fruit season comes.
