BENGALURU:The much-awaited annual Mango Mela has finally arrived in Bengaluru. On Friday, it was officially launched jointly by the Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited (KSMDMCL) and the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI). The mela will be open to the public from 10 am onwards on Saturday and it will continue till June 15. Stalls have been set up at Lalbagh, Cubbon Park and FKCCI premises on KG Road.
The event provides a platform for farmers to sell their produce directly to consumers, and visitors get naturally ripened fruits. “The fruits sold here are free of calcium carbide—a ripening chemical, which traders often use to get good colour and smell. Mangoes sold at the mela can also be retained for a longer period and the rates are decided by Horticultural Producers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (HOPCOMS),” said Nagaraju C G, managing director of KSMDMCL.
Erratic rainfall has, meanwhile, resulted in the prices of mangoes going up. “Heavy rains, hailstorms and strong winds affected the flowering season which was delayed by one month this year,” said Srinivas Gowda, a farmer from Chikkaballapur. “We are afraid that sales might come down this year,” he added.
Some of the mango varieties available at the mela are Mallika, Dasheri, Amrapali, Malgova, Raspuri, Sendura, Totapuri, Sakkare Gutti, Chinna rasa, Banginapalli and Kesar. Apart from mangoes, fruit fly pheromone traps are also being sold at the venues.