Researchers in India say they have developed a wine made from mangoes that they hope might one day compete with the traditional grape-based variety.

Scientists at the Central Institute of Subtropical Horticultural Research in Lucknow have produced wines using three types of mango native to the local state of Uttar Pradesh — the Dussehri, Langra, and Chausa.

India is the world’s largest mango producer and is home to nearly 1,000 varieties of the succulent and juicy fruit — something the researchers hope could be harnessed into a new drinks industry.

A farmer in the town of Tsukigata in Hokkaido, Japan, has grown watermelons that are shaped like pyramids!

The farmer attained this shape by putting the watermelon in a pyramid-shaped plastic casing and hanging it upside down.

Sixteen of the pyramid-shaped watermelons have been shipped to shops across the country, including the Iwataya department store in Fukuoka.

Fruit is generally expensive in Japan and the locals seem to buy the fruits only as luxury gifts. After the Watermelon auctioned for $6,100 and the $2,000 mangoes, a bunch of grapes fetched a record $900 (for 35 grapes).

“We believe the price was probably a record high,” said local agricultural official Hirofumi Isu. Of course, as a French guy, I treasure grapes, but still… $26 per grape !

That’s how much one hotel manager in Japan paid for a bunch of Ruby Roman grapes, though, at an auction in Japan’s northwestern Ishikawa region where the grapes have been under state development since 1994.

A black jumbo watermelon auctioned in northern Japan fetched a record $6,100 Friday, making it the most expensive watermelon ever sold in the country — and possibly the world.

The 17-pound premium “Densuke” watermelon, grown only on the northern island of Hokkaido, was purchased by a marine products dealer who said he wanted to support local agriculture.

In a country where melons are a luxury item commonly given as gifts, the watermelon’s hefty price tag follows another jaw-dropping auction last month, where a pair of “Yubari” cantaloupe melons sold for a record $23,500.

And what makes a watermelon worth $200, much less $6,000?
Its unusual black skin, said Kazuyoshi Ohira, a spokesman for the Tohma Agricultural Cooperative in Hokkaido. Inside, the watermelon is crisp and hard. And, he says, it has unparalleled taste.
“It’s a watermelon, but it’s not the same,” he said. “It has a different level of sweetness.”

Other Densuke watermelons won’t cost quite as much. Most will retail at department stores and supermarkets for a more modest 20,000 yen to 30,000 yen (U.S. $188 to U.S. $283), Ohira said.

Two Mangoes were auctioned in Japan for a princely sum of 200,000 Yen ($ 2000). The reason? They are not just any mangoes as they come from the renowned Miyazaki prefecture in Southern Japan.

These fruits are highly sought after in Japan, and particularly as the local governor, actor Hideo Higashikokubaru does heavy promotion for them.

Foreigners are often surprised at exhorbant prices of fruits produced locally. Via luxurylaunches / reuters JP