A pair of melons produced in the northern Japanese city of Yubari, Hokkaido, sold for 1.5 million yen ($13,400) in the first auction of this harvest season on Friday.

The price was half the record 3 million yen fetched for a pair of Yubari melons, a type of premium cantaloupe, in the previous year's auction, but largely in line with prices set in regular years at the Sapporo Central Wholesale Market.

The successful bidder was Kurashige Shoten, a fruit wholesaler in Sapporo, Hokkaido, which plans to give the melons to children at an elementary school in Yubari.

"In the farmland, shipments for sale take a priority and children hardly have a chance to eat them," said Kazuo Watarai, a senior executive of the wholesale company. "This is a token of our appreciation to Yubari," he said with a smile.

A total of 580 melons shipped from nine farmers in Yubari were auctioned Friday, according to the city's agricultural cooperative.

City mayor Naomichi Suzuki, who was present at the auction, said, "We got a lot of sunlight this year and made a good start. I appreciate the gift for the children."