@Figsee @ktrain @BNaula1
Great observations and questions. Before I say anything, big grain of salt disclaimer : I’m a fig newbie.
This is only my 3rd year growing figs,
and most folks here know way more than I do about figs!
For me this is strictly a hobby, so I try not to overthink it. If something turns out wrong or boring, that’s just part of the learning curve.
That said, my day job is as a global tech exec, so I spend a lot of time dealing with vendors, sourcing, and supply chains. Where I’ll openly admit I know nothing is USDA rules for live plant material, so if I’m off anywhere below, that’s on me. This is just me trying to connect some dots.
What I think is going on
- AFAIK no one in the US has fruited Kuromitsu yet. Interestingly, the first FigBid seller (Highly reputed - Trees of Joy) seems to be the only one who has actually grown it here. Most other material appears to trace back to Asia. Apologies to any/all sellers, if I'm wrong about this and you are growing it in US already and selling cuttings from your trees.
- The Asian fig community is massive. I’m in a few groups over there, over hundred thousand members! And very active. Totally different scale than what we have here when it comes to the fig community.
- The Kurume series is popular and widely grown there. Among serious collectors it’s closer to Black Celeste or Verdolino here, desirable but common.
- Benimaru is the exception
- Pricing context for the Kurume series in Asia
- Cuttings: 100–300 baht (about $3–9 USD)
- Young air layers: under 900 baht (about $25 USD)
- Benimaru recently hit about 20,000 baht (roughly $550–600 USD) at auction, which tracks given how rare it is.
Where I'm guessing (and could be wrong)
- I’m pretty confident no one suddenly discovered a big Kuromitsu tree in the US. AFAIK only Trees of Joy was growing it here.
- Some of what’s floating around will almost certainly turn out to be Iraqi (the Thai equivalent of Brown Turkey in terms of supply).
- Thailand exported about $5B USD of produce and plant material to the US in 2024, so exporters there claim be very familiar with USDA processes and claim they can ship compliant material. I'm no expert here and cannot attest or contest this.
- A lot of growers were honestly shocked to see their cuttings selling for $100+ per stick here when locally they’re sitting on plants priced at about 1/100th of that and are familiar with USDA processes.
- Easy to see why some tried selling direct and have zero figbid ratings. I would verify them on the Asian social media groups and not figbid to make sure that I do not end up with a ton of Iraqis.
- What they don’t have is credibility in the US market, since most buyers here aren’t plugged into Thai groups where reputation and history are easy to check.
How I personally approached my purchase. Not saying this is the right way, just what made
me comfortable :
- I only wanted to buy from a US seller.
- From there, I wanted to know who the original source was. Otherwise, pass.
- I checked the US seller through other long-time Asian collectors in the US.
- I also had a local friend independently verify the original source, and they checked out.
Could I still end up with Iraqi? Yep. 
Do I think the odds are low? I do!
Mainly because the source has been selling figs for 10+ years and has a reputation to protect, and the seller is someone I know through my network.
Final Thoughts :
- If I were a reseller, I wouldn’t bet on popular/great Asian figs.IMHO the odds of any of these becoming another White Baca are slim. They’re grown in big greenhouses and propagated at scale using single-node grafts, then multiplied quickly. Kind of wild how fast supply shows up once the tap is opened.
- We’ve already seen keeper Asian figs, Dato Syed Elias’s NV, TC12, CDA series, etc., that are now easily available
- As a collector, I’d buy the great sounding Kurume, FigFun, Purple Blue, Haficha, Stella Siam figs etc. happily. If I were a reseller, I'd probably stay away from them as the chance of making a quick buck is slim on most of these.
Anyway, I might be wrong, I might be overthinking it, and in a few years I’ll probably laugh at this post. For now I’ll just enjoy the hobby, root my sticks, and hope they turn into something tasty. Worst case, I add another mystery fig/Iraqi to my collection.
. And yeah, totally agree on the flood part.
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