$6.2 million 'Banana' buyer wants 1 lakh more: fruit vendor says 'there’s no Profit'

New York: A week after Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur Justin Sun purchased a conceptual artwork featuring a banana taped to a wall for a staggering $6.2 million (Rs 52,33,28,360) at auction and eating it, he announced a bold plan on X.

Sun declared his intention to buy 100,000 bananas—worth $25,000—from the same Manhattan fruit stand that sold the original banana for 25 cents.  

However, Sun's grand gesture quickly hit real-world challenges. Shah Alam, the 74-year-old Bangladeshi vendor who sold the original banana, explained the practical hurdles of such a massive purchase.

"Getting 100,000 bananas would cost thousands at the Bronx wholesale market," he said. "And where would we even store that many?"  

From artwork to fruit stand realities  

The banana that became the centerpiece of Comedian, an artwork by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, highlights the absurdity of the art world. Yet for street vendors, the economics are far from glamorous.  

Justin Sun, known for his extravagant spending—including $600,000 for a pet rock NFT—calculated that his purchase would result in just $6,000 in net profit for the stand. But Alam, who earns $12 an hour working 12-hour shifts, pointed out that any profit would go to the stand's owner.

"There's not much profit in selling bananas," he added.  

Owner’s perspective

Mohammad Islam, the 53-year-old owner of the fruit stand, said he would share any earnings among his team of seven employees.

"If he buys all those bananas, I'll split the money fairly," Islam said.  

Meanwhile, Islam’s brother, Mohammad Alam Badsha, welcomed the idea but noted its limited impact on street vendors.

"It’s a big gesture, but it won’t change much for us," he said in Bengali, adding a local saying: "It’s the difference between heaven and hell."