GUA MUSANG, May 18 — The hot weather that hit the country turned out to be a blessing in disguise for a trader in Bandar Baru here when he sold up to 24 tonnes of watermelon a day.
Zuhairi Hashim, 34, said since last month, he started selling the boci type of watermelon for as low as 80 sen per kilogrammes (kg) for grade B and RM1.20 per kg for grade A.
The trader said he was able to offer such a low price because the supply of watermelons was purchased in bulk from Kelantan and Terengganu.
“We get the supply directly from farmers in Dabong, Tok Bali and Pasir Puteh in Kelantan and Setiu in Terengganu.
“Alhamdulillah, many people come to buy these fruits. During the hot spell, I can sell between 12 and 24 tonnes per day,” he told reporters here today.
Zuhairi said he started doing business from 8 am until 10 pm with his wife and other family members, adding that most customers are happy with the low price and would purchase in bulk.
“They are not afraid to buy these fruits because they are cheap. In the past, watermelons are sold for RM4.50 per kg.
“Now that customers can buy wholesale, they don’t think much about it and just open up their car boot to load the fruits,” he said.
The trader said that his customers were also looking for watermelons to be served as desserts at Aidilfitri open house events.
“Recently, a customer from Sepang, Selangor purchased five tonnes of watermelon, and we delivered them ourselves,” he said.
