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Densuke Watermelon

Author: Razvan Pirnac
Filed under: World News
Date: Jun 6,2008

A jumbo black watermelon auctioned in Japan on Friday fetched a record $6,100, making it one of the most expensive watermelons ever sold in the country. The 17-pound, black-skinned “Densuke” watermelon, a variety grown only on the northern island of Hokkaido, was purchased Friday by a marine products dealer who said he wanted to support local agriculture, according to Kyodo News agency. The price was the highest on record for a Densuke watermelon, said Kazuyoshi Ohira, a spokesman for the Tohma Agricultural Cooperative in Hokkaido. Most retail at department stores and supermarkets for a more modest $188 to $283, Ohira said.
The black Densuke watermelon, grown only on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, fetched the highest-ever price at a Japanese auction and may be the priciest watermelon in the world, according to local officials.
The price was the highest on record for a Densuke watermelon, said Kazuyoshi Ohira, a spokesman for the Tohma Agricultural Cooperative in Hokkaido. Most retail at department stores and supermarkets for a more modest $188 to $283, Ohira said.
The Densuke watermelon is only grown in the north of the Hokkaido island in Japan.The Densuke watermelon is weighting 17lbs(7.7KG). Only a few are produced each year thus making it rare.
The watermelon was the first of 65 sold as part of the season’s initial harvest and one of 9,000 expected for the entire year. Unseasonably warm weather in April and May helped boost sugar content and overall quality of the watermelons this year, Ohira said.
Other Densuke watermelons won’t cost quite as much.