Justin Sun, a Chinese cryptocurrency entrepreneur and art collector known for purchasing the famous $6.2 million banana taped to a wall at auction, has proposed buying 100,000 more bananas from the Bangladeshi vendor who sold the original fruit for just 25 cents.

This unexpected offer has sparked excitement and practical challenges for the vendor, Shah Alam, 74, and the fruit stand’s owner, Mohammad R. Islam, reports The New York Times.

Entrepreneur who purchased a banana artwork for $6.2 million eats the fruit in Hong Kong

The original “artwork”, sold at Sotheby’s in New York, captured worldwide attention for its price and conceptual nature.

Sun now seeks to buy bananas worth about $25,000 from Alam’s stand near Sotheby’s. However, sourcing this quantity from the Bronx wholesale market and handling logistics, including packaging and transport, pose significant hurdles and costs.

Alam, who earns $12 per hour working 12-hour shifts, clarified that any profit from the bulk sale would go to the stand’s owner. Alam estimated only a modest $6,000 profit would remain after expenses.

“There’s not any profit in selling bananas,” Alam said, underlining the stark difference between the art piece’s exorbitant cost and the realities of running a fruit stand, the report also said.

Sun, who has a history of purchasing unique and costly artworks, commented on the challenges in a text after a news event in Hong Kong, where he ate the original banana. “I am not personally familiar with the exact cost of the bananas,” he wrote, emphasising that the goal was to support Alam and highlight the artistic symbolism of the banana

Fruit stand owner Islam, 53, said he would consider sharing any potential profits with Alam and other employees. He learned about Sun’s proposal from a reporter and expressed concern over its impact.

Online support for Alam has grown, with two fundraising campaigns raising over $20,000, underscoring public interest in addressing the economic disparity highlighted by the original sale, added the report.

Alam’s brother, Mohammad Alam Badsha, who also works at the stand, shared his view on Thanksgiving Day. He acknowledged the potential of accepting the bulk sale but pointed out it would not substantially change the vendors’ circumstances or address the deep inequality exposed by the $6.2 million price tag. “It’s definitely an inequality,” Badsha said, using a Bengali saying to describe the vast difference as “the difference between heaven and hell.”