TOKYO (AFP) - A pair of mangoes grown in southern Japan sold on Thursday for a whopping 300,000 yen (S$3,675), a record price for the fruit's first auction of the season, Kyodo News reported.

The Taiyo no Tamago (Egg of the Sun) brand mangoes were set to be airlifted from Miyazaki in the far south of the country to a department store in Fukuoka, where they were to go on sale, the agency said.

To qualify as a Taiyo no Tamago mango, each fruit must weigh at least 350g and have a high sugar content, according to the Miyazaki Agricultural Economic Federation.

Fruit is routinely expensive in Japan and it is not unusual for a single apple to cost upwards of US$3 (S$3.70), while a presentation pack of 20 cherries can set you back US$100.

However, all pale in comparison with the eye-watering US$25,000 price tag for a pair of cantaloupe melons auctioned in 2008.