Square Watermelon Shipments Begin In Western Japan City

TAKAMATSU (Japan), June 30 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Farmers began shipping ornamental square watermelons in a western Japan city on Tuesday, with around 400 expected to be delivered through mid-July for about 10,000 yen (US$62) each, Kyodo News reported.

The cube-shaped fruit, a specialty of Zentsuji, Kagawa Prefecture, has little sweetness and is unsuitable for eating. Its unusual appearance, however, has made it popular as a summer decoration.

The watermelons are shaped into about 18-centimetre cubes by being grown in transparent square containers with metal frames once they reach a certain size.

A local growers' group developed the watermelon about 50 years ago in an effort to produce fruit that would fit more easily inside refrigerators. Seven farms currently grow the cubic melons.

Producers and other workers gathered at a collection centre in the morning to check the shape of each watermelon before packing them into boxes.

"The crop has turned out well this year," said grower Toshiyuki Yamashita, 78. "I hope people will feel that summer has arrived when they see the watermelons."

-- BERNAMA-KYODO