Weeks before the watermelon season officially kicks off in Moscow, one of the city's retail chain has started selling square-shaped fruits at over 23,000 rubles ($704) a piece, a news report said Friday.
The watermelons were imported from Japan, but demand for the novelty fruits has not been high.
"There has been no rush [to buy the watermelons]," a shop assistant at one of the chain's stores told Interfax. But he said that a few customers had bought them "just for fun."
The report didn't identify the chain's name.
The pragmatic Japanese grow square-shaped watermelons to save space in the fridge. Their shape is changed by placing them into transparent cubic boxes during the early stages of growth and price for square watermelons in Japan stands at about $80 each, according to some sources.
Watermelons in Moscow are sold at about 15 rubles per kilogram during the peak season which starts on Aug. 1.
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