TEMPO.CO, Magelang - The durian village, which is what the local residents call the area, is located near Mount Merbabu in a hamlet in Giyanti village, Magelang, Central Java. The hamlet has captured the attention of many outsiders due to the delicious durian fruit produced by its residents. Thousands flocked to this little region to see the durian festival held by the village last March.
Mantenan hamlet chief Takyin gave a brief historical explanation as to why the hamlet has been dubbed the ‘Durian Village.’ He told Tempo that this hamlet used to be considered economically poor. Around four years ago, Takyin asked his people to start planting durians.
"I asked them to try to plant durian so we can sell them at the market. I chose durian because many of our ancestors left behind its trees on the slopes of Mount Merbabu," said Takyin.
Takyin’s people agreed to follow his request and after harvest, they sold their fruit at the market. Surprisingly, people raved about the durian from the slopes of Mount Merbabu. As sales in the market began to increase, more and more residents decided to plant durians.
"After the durian from Merbabu became famous, many people sell it from in front of their own homes. The local administration then named our hamlet the durian village," he said.
Takyin said that out of the 135 families in the hamlet, around 40 families are in the business of planting durian. As a result, their income increased and they were able to build homes and purchase vehicles.
Takyin said he never prohibited his people from selling durian in front of their own homes. He lets his people do what they want in order to make a living.
"Since this place was named the durian village, people started to aspire to start their own businesses. This is my dream, to have my people become entrepreneurs," he added.
Meanwhile, Martini, 30, said her family’s economy drastically improved after she started selling durian. She said the price of her durian is between Rp10,000 (around US$1) to Rp 40,000 ($4) per fruit. She is able to make a profit and more than enough for her living expenses.
"Unfortunately, the hamlet is only crowded during the durian season from February to March. When it is not durian season, there are not that many visitors and we don’t sell any (durian)," she said.
A married couple named Andi and Pratiwi traveling from Temanggung, Central Java, admitted they are addicted to the sweetness of the durian from the slopes of Mount Merbabu.
"The durian here is delicious. That’s why I’m willing to come all the way here. The meat is thick and the filling is yellow like butter. It’s addictive," said Andi.
OLIVIA LEWI PRAMESTI