BELAGAVI: The nation-wide lockdown over Covid-19 may have put brakes on the brisk sale of mangoes this season, but efforts are on by Department of Horticulture to adopt innovative techniques to ensure that the mango lovers relished the king of fruits, come what may.
With fruit mandis and market yards virtually shutdown, mango growers and dealers are struggling to dispose mangoes which are produced in abundance this season in Belagavi and other parts of North Karnataka.
The Department of Horticulture has come up with a concept to deliver the mangoes at doorsteps taking online orders. The department's initiative has allayed fears of growers as they are sitting on loads of mangoes with fingers crossed.
Belagavi based horticulture officer Kiran Kumar Upale who received many grievances from mango farmers has came up with an innovative idea to ensure a good market for the growers by creating a market for them.
Kiran, working as senior horticulture officer in Belagavi with a help of his friend Ketan from Bidar has developed a website called https://raithanamithrabelagavi.in where consumers can put the order of delicious mangoes and wait for 24 hours to get it delivered. What more good thing is that these mangoes grown in the orchards in Belagavi taluk are riped naturally without using any chemicals and available at very affordable prices compared to the mangoes that arriving in the fruit market. People who are scared to buy anything from the market can buy these mangoes as they are locally grown and packed with hygiene.
Speaking to TNIE, Kiran Kumar said 'horticulture department used to organise 'Mango fest' every year where locally grown mangoes were brought under one roof to sell people. Due to lockdown, we could not able to arrange this fest this year. However, we have developed a website where people of Belagavi taluk sitting in the home can order Alphanso mangoes on a finger touch. In a start, about 10 farmers in and around Belagavi taluk are attached to us. We have made available godowns at Hulme park on club road and at Tilakwadi. In the very first day, we have received about 200 orders. If it worked well, we can extend this entire district. We have also planned to add more horticulture produces like resins in coming days' he said.
How does this concept work?
By visiting, https://raithanamithrabelagavi.in the buyer has to put the order of mangoes and the address of delivery. If the order has been put before 4 pm, it will be delivered on the next day. Each box of mango containing 12 to 15 mangoes is priced at Rs 650. The farmers themselves will deliver the mangoes to buyers free of cost after receiving a delivery invoice from the horticulture department. Farmers have been provided passes by the department so that they can deliver their products from 9 am to 9 pm following the safety measures.