A watermelon that costs US$750? Hong Kong’s most ridiculously priced fruits exposed
Fruit forms a cornerstone of a healthy diet and is an everyday staple for billions of people around the world.
But, not all fruits are created equal. Not by any stretch.
Advances in farming have introduced a slew of new breeds and shapes of fruit, and it isn’t just the shapes that are mind boggling – they are also often much more expensive than you might imagine possible.
We took a quick trip around a Hong Kong supermarket to offer a sneaky snapshot of some of the most exorbitantly priced fruits we could find.
Would you believe that a watermelon can cost HK$5,888 – the equivalent of more than US$750? Well, that is the price of this Japanese pyramid watermelon at City’super in Causeway Bay.
Imported from Hokkaido, because of the difficulty of growing something like this – it takes years of practice to get the shape right, and special moulds or containers for it to grow in – the prices charged are often extreme.
Incidentally, you could buy a very good bottle of wine for much less than that. And we mean very good.
This Japanese square watermelon is also hardly a steal at HK$1,988 – that’s US$254, and more than 50 times what a regular watermelon might cost.
While some dislike durian because of its pungent smell – or, they might say, stench – there are devotees who are so obsessed with the fruit they’re happy to pay more than US$100 (HK$800) for just one Musang King durian.
Originally from Malaysia, it is virtually impossible to transport Musang King durian over long distances. Plantation owners are required by the Malaysian government to refrigerate the naturally ripe durian at -18 degrees Celsius before export to guarantee its characteristic flavour.
But is the HK$848 price tag of this Musang King durian perhaps a little over the top?
By comparison, grapes and cherries might seem slightly more reasonably priced.
The cardboard gift box containing Japanese Shine Muscat grapes costs almost HK$500 (US$64), while a box of British cherries is priced at a little more than HK$400 (US$51).
While you may want this Japanese Miyazaki mango, do you really want to fork out HK$348 (US$44) for just a few bites?
One thing is clear – while you might not be prepared to dig this deep to fill your fruit basket, someone, somewhere, must be paying these prices – or else these VIP fruits will all be going to rot.
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Advances in farming have introduced a slew of new breeds and shapes of fruit, and it isn’t just the shapes that are mind boggling