MYSURU: Mangoes, this season, have taken longer to present themselves. The arrival of the delicious fruit in the market was delayed because the plucking was delayed, which was delayed because of the recently-held assembly elections in the state. As a result, the much-awaited Mango Mela, that saw a huge turnout last year, has got delayed. An exhibition of local varieties of mangoes, Mango Mela is a collaborative effort between Association of Fruit Merchants, Associates and Shop Tenants, Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee and Karnataka State Mango Development Corporation, Horticulture Department, Mysuru.
G D Dinesh Kumar, Deputy Director of Horticulture, Mysore said that he has called for a preliminary meeting with the association of mango growers and department officials to finalise a date and begin preparations for the event. “We will soon announce the day,” he said. Sources familiar with the matter said that the event may be held in the first week of June.
The Mela is an effort to connect consumers directly with producers and marketers. Produce from Nanjangud, Yelwal, Bilikere, Hura, Herale, Hullahalli, Hunsur, KR Nagar, HD Kote, Gundlupet, Chamarajanagar, Channapattana, Ramanagaram and other mango growing areas are sold in the mela. Last year the mela had over hundred stalls with more than forty varieties of the mangoes including Mallika, Neelam, Sakkara Katte, Baganapalli, Kesar Rathnagiri and Alphonso on display along with the local varieties from regions within the district.
With the action over the elections shifted from the common man to the lawmakers and the powerhouse, Vidhana Soudha, normalcy is returning in the state, and with it have arrived the much-awaited mangoes.
In fact, now there is a glut of mangoes in the market, which has resulted in the fall of their prices. “Till last week, we had a shortage of supply, but now we are oversupplied because of which prices are reducing,” said Ashraf, a wholesale dealer of fruits in RMC Yard.
Currently, the wholesale rate of Raspuri, a local popular variety, has dropped to `20-35 per kilogramme, depending on its size. According to authorities of the horticulture department, the surge in the quantity of mangoes is attributed to good pre-summer showers that improved the yield.Demand for mangoes in the city is also increasing. “Since the price is now low, we are selling them in large numbers,” Siddharaju a street-side fruit vendor, said.
Customers are more than happy with the large amount of the fruit to pick from. “This time the price is not high, so I buy a kilo every day because my daughter likes mangoes. She prefers the Badami variety because she says it is like a sliced cake,” said Rekha, an employee of the University of Mysore.