BENGALURU: A 10-day mango and jackfruit mela began at Cubbon Park on Friday, bringing farmers and consumers together under one roof. The fair, organised in collaboration with the Department of Horticulture and the Karnataka State Mango and Marketing Corporation, will continue till May 17.
The mela features 50 mango stalls, 15 jackfruit stalls and 10 other stalls, where farmers are directly selling their produce to customers. Among the participants is N V Shivaraj (63), a farmer from Ramanagara who has been cultivating mangoes for 40 years and is attending the mela for the fifth time. He owns 10 acres of land and also grows canistel, avocado, cardamom and pepper, apart from running a poultry farm. At his stall, he is selling varieties such as Mallika, Raspuri, Badami, Sindoora and Totapuri.
Another farmer, Mahadevamma (40), has been cultivating mangoes on her three acres for the past 30 years and is participating in the mela for the second consecutive year. She is selling Sindoora, Raspuri, Badami, Mallika and Bygampalli varieties.
Manjunath (38), a third-generation jackfruit cultivator from Doddaballapur, is also part of the mela. He has 20 jackfruit trees, 100 mango trees and six acres under ragi cultivation. Participating for the seventh year, he is selling jackfruit varieties such as Chandra, Ekadashi, Shivaratri, Rudrakshi, Kaachahalli Red and Swarna.
Visitors said the mela offers an opportunity to buy fruits directly from farmers. A customer, Vinay, said he prefers buying at the mela as it assures freshness and reduces concerns about chemical use in fruits sold in regular markets. Another customer said while prices were similar to the market, buying directly from farmers was a satisfying experience.