A wealthy businessman paid a staggering 1.5milion baht ($48,000) for a single Kanyao durian at an auction at the King Of Durian 2019 festival in Nonthaburi, central Thailand, on June 1.
The kanyao variety is the most expensive in the world and is specific to Nonthaburi. Kanyao durians are characterised by their round shape and a long stem. It is considered to be the best in the world thanks to its sweet taste and creamy texture.
The durian was hand-picked from Pa Toi Lung Mu, a durian orchard, just one day before the auction. Maliwan Han Chai Thai, who runs the Pa Toi Lung Mu farm said he did not expect the price to go over 1mil baht.
”I knew this was a very special durian but I was amazed at how much it sold for. I was expecting one million baht so for it to sell more is very good. I hope the high bidder enjoys eating the durian. This variety is the tastiest in the world and we will keep growing them.”
Nine fruits were chosen for their perfect size, shape, and ripeness. Besides the Kaoyan variety, there was also the Monthong, Kanyao, and Kop Med Tao species, each fetching more than 300,000 baht ($9,600) each.
The rarest type of durian
Kanyao durian was wiped out after a mass flood several years ago,bu this farm is one of the only places to have growing them again. These durians are protected from insects during the growing period, fed with special fertilizer, and covered with umbrellas to protect them from the intense tropical sun.
Fruit production is limited to three to four Kanyao durians per tree in order to ensure higher nutrient level per fruit. This makes the Kanyao durian very rare. At the farm, the fruits are reserved months in advance and usually cost around 20,000 baht ($640) each. You can buy whole durians in Thailand for around 500 baht ($16).
