BENGALURU: The fragrance of mangoes grown in Karnataka has started wowing people outside the state too, with the Karnataka Mango mela kicking off in Goa on Friday.
Karnataka is among the top mango growers in the country.
In the state, mango is grown on 1.7 lakh hectares in 16 districts, including Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Dharwad, and Ramanagaram.
The Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited (KSMDMCL) chairperson Kamalakshi Rajanna said on Friday that Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar inaugurated the mango mela. “This time, we got a good yield of mangoes and there is a demand for Karnataka mangoes outside the state too. At present, the mela is going on in Goa where 1,500 kg of organic mangoes from Karnataka are kept for sale directly from the farmers,” she said.
By the end of May, the KSMDMCL will organise the state mango mela in Cubbon Park. “This year, there will be more than 100 stalls as against 80 of last year. We are waiting for Chief Minister Siddaramiah nod on the date to inaugurate the mela. Along with that, there will be a jackfruit mela in Cubbon Park too,” she said.
“Mango melas are likely to be organised at Brazil, UK and other European countries this year, but that is yet to be finalised,” she said.
Mango mela inaugurated
Mangaluru: A two-day exhibition cum sale of different varieties of mangoes and ‘Pilikula Vasanthotsava’ was inaugurated by Sports and Youth Services Minister K Abhaychandra Jain at the urban haath in the Dr Shivarama Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama on Saturday. Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited chairperson Kamalakshi Rajanna said at a press conference in Mangaluru on Saturday, that the state, which produces an average of 14 lakh tonnes of mango every year, is the second highest mango growing state in the country. “All these mangoes are exported to gulf countries through Maharastra, as the only Mango exporting process facility is located in Maharastra,” she said. “With the intention of launching an export facility in Karnataka, we have signed a memorandum of understanding with an exporter from Kolar,” she said. She said 4,576 farmers had registered with the Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Development authority (APFPEDA). “This season we exported 15,000 tonnes of mangoes to Gulf countries,” she said. She said the board will organise ‘mango melas’ in 20 districts across the state soon.