Nothing is Normal This Year
Every year, there is an auction of the first melons of the year in Yubari, Hokkaido. Last year, a pair of these premium melons sold for five million yen at this auction. This year the first melons sold for just a fraction of last year's record sale, at only 120,000 yen.
An official at the market where the auction was held said the coronavirus kept the rich corporate clients away. These corporate clients compete to outbid each other in a normal year. This year the market has been closed since April 20th, in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus, but it held this one time auction to encourage support for local produce.
Every year, people comment on the extreme prices for these early perfect melons, but it does call attention and offer support for the Hokkaido farmers.
7 comments:
Pamela: What a great way to get attention to farmers, a bit spendy but worth the effort, so many do not realize how much the farmers put into their farming to produce food for people.
Have a beautiful day.
Catherine
Seems the farmers are being hit hard with the virus the world over.
Farmers work hard and patiently.
In another news story about melons, there was a farmer whose watermelons were just ready to harvest after half a years hard work and TLC. When he woke up on the morning of the harvest he found that thieves have broken into the greenhouse and stolen all the melons. Unforgivable!
So many farmers struggling this year.
How interesting. I know that when I was in Japan in -- I can't even remember the year! -- that melons were outrageously expensive but I'd never heard of the auction!
I don't even like those melons! That is if they are what we call rockmelons, or canteloupes. If they are some other variety that taste different, maybe they are worth buying. But if they are what I think they are, I wouldn't give 2c for them.
I hope the farmers will be alright this year, even with such a slow kickoff into melon season :(
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