Myanmar Sugar Apple: 2,500 Kyat Per Fruit（Sep 1）

More Addictive Than Ice Cream: Myanmar Sugar Apple Season Opens, 2,500 Kyat Per Fruit — Worth Every Bite!

Have you ever seen a fruit like this: its skin is green or light yellow, covered with many raised round or oval scales, looking as if it is wrapped in thick green scales, and the overall shape resembles a Buddha's head.

Yes, this is the sugar apple (sweetsop), also known as custard apple, beloved for its dense, sweet flesh and ice-cream-like texture. Beneath its unassuming exterior lies sweet, juicy flesh.

The sugar apple was once ranked second in the BBC's list of the "Top Ten Most Nutritious Foods."

This year, the Myanmar sugar apple season has begun. According to market traders, the price of sugar apples currently entering the market is high, with a single fruit selling for up to 2,500 kyat.

At present, a basket of 50 sugar apples is priced between 35,000 and 50,000 kyat, while individual fruit prices range from 1,000 to 2,500 kyat depending on size.

A seasonal fruit vendor from Zigon Town, Bago Region, said: "When they first hit the market, the goods had to be dispatched immediately to pre-order customers — they sold out upon arrival. Right now is the early stage, and the orchards can fetch a good price."

Although early-season prices are favorable, the vendor added that when sugar apples flood the market in peak season, pickers will receive only about 300 to 800 kyat per fruit.

It is understood that since around the second week of August, plantations in the Mount Popa area, Taungdwingyi, Pyay, Paungde, and Zigon have begun harvesting one after another. Although buyers have already come to inquire about prices, supply remains insufficient as production has not yet met market demand.

Sugar apples are mainly cultivated in the Mount Popa area of Kyaukpadaung Township, Mandalay Region; Magway, Pwintbyu, and Minbu in Magway Region; and Pyay and Paungde in Bago Region. Additionally, they are also grown in Yangon Region and Naypyidaw.