Melon season has officially started in Moscow with the opening of more than 200 stands around the city, news website Moskva24 reported Monday.
Watermelons and dinya — a yellow-fleshed sweet melon — from the southern regions of Dagestan, Rostov and Astrakhan and countries including Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, are available for the price of around 20 rubles (30 cents) per kilogram.
Rospotrebnadzor, Russia's sanitary watchdog, will test the melons for harmful chemicals and make sure each melon stand meets specific state requirements.
According to the regulations for fruit stands, the fruit must be covered by a tent and stored at least 15 centimeters above the ground and a minimum of 10 meters away from the road.
Salespeople must wear uniforms, have all the necessary certificates and provide a book for customer complaints.
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