An 80-year-old farmer successfully grew and harvested durians on a raft floating in the middle of a dam in Thailand.

Peed Sinthao, 80, planted the seed of Mon Thong variety three years ago on bamboo rafts that houses cafes and other attractions in Vajiralongkorn Dam in Kanchanaburi province.

He had other trees in the area, a banyan, mango, and bodhi, but didn't expect that the durian would bloom flowers and bear fruit.

Footage shows Peed's tree being visited by local officials. He gave the harvested fruit to the visitors who took pictures with it.

Peed's neighbour Supawat Murin said: ‘My house was close to his raft. He built them in 1984 for fishing and selling items.'

The cluster of rafts, called Phae Malai after Peed's eldest daughter produced fruits given to district official Chakrit Tanpiroon and governor Thossapol Chaikomin.

The third fruit was donated to the provincial agricultural office to be studied for information.

Peed said: ‘We later discovered that the roots were submerged in the water too much. We hired someone to put more bamboo, elevate the tree trunk a metre higher, and add soil.'

After that, Peed said it took 130 days before the flowers turned into fruit.

He said: ‘I was curious and wanted to try growing durians. Many people try to grow durians here. I am very happy.'

Durian is often called the 'King of Fruits' in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand. This title reflects its large size, strong odour, and distinctive appearance with a thorny exterior.