Have you ever heard of Muskmelons? Come, let’s know what it’s!

Muskmelon is one of the most expensive fruits in the world. A small Japanese muskmelon would cost around USD 200 (nearly Rs 15,000). After hearing its price you will be thinking about the kind of expensive nutrients and treatments that go into successfully growing the fruit, right? After a decade of study and experiment with the plant, three Malaysian farmers declared to have found the secret ingredients for growing the fruit – it is just good old music and massage.

As per a Reuters report, along with the right nutrients and treatments, farmers at Malaysian company Mono Premium Melon regularly rub the melons with a soft cloth or glove, which is known as “tama-fuki” and is believed to improve the flavour of the fruit. And about the music, the trio of farmers says that classical music helps stimulate growth and hence, it is played on speakers in the greenhouse.

Talking about the care that goes into growing a Japanese muskmelon, Seh Cheng Siang, director and co-founder of Mono said, “Every single Japanese melon that you see in our farm is almost like an art piece.” The company’s farm is located in Malaysia’s administrative capital Putrajaya.

The muskmelons that are famous across the world for their excellent taste and spherical structure are considered a luxury item and are sold almost exclusively in high-end stores. Therefore, over the last century, Japanese farmers have spent a lot of time perfecting the fruit’s cultivation.

But for the farmers in Malaysia, those who were experimenting with the melons had to face the obstacle of a hot and humid tropical climate. Japan, on the other hand, enjoys a more temperate condition.

The process was not easy, Seh said, admitting that they had tried to grow over 10 varieties of Japanese melon before they have achieved this perfection. The farmers also travelled to Japan to study the cultivation methods and execute them in Malaysia. “We have to make sure that nutrition, the watering and the fertiliser are done very consistently and precisely,” Seh said.

The efforts seemed to have paid off as the first batch of 200 selected melons has sold out, the report added. When compared to their Japanese counterparts, the Malayasia-grown muskmelons were sold online for a modest price of 168 ringgit ($40.70/ Rs 3,035) each.