Hokkaido melons fetch record $45,500 at season's 1st auction

A pair of melons grown in the northern Japan city of Yubari, Hokkaido, fetched on Friday a record 5 million yen ($45,500) in the season's first auction.The price bid at a Sapporo wholesale market beat the all-time high of 3.2 million yen paid in the first auction of Yubari melons last year.The premium cantaloupe is known for its soft juicy orange-colored flesh and high sugar content and the melons are usually sold for 4,000 yen to 10,000 yen each, often given as a gift in Japan.The successful bidder, Nagoya-based Pokka Sapporo Food & Beverage Ltd., said it decided to make a bid in the aucti…READ FULL ARTICLE