THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Juicy, sweet and mushy mangoes of various sizes and colours are beckoning mango lovers to E K Nayanar Park at Putharikandam, where a mango fest is getting under way. Organised by city-based Festival Events, the fest features unique and tasty varieties of mangoes sourced from Kerala and other south Indian states, including Andhra Pradesh. “Malgova, sappotta and swarnarekha are some of the varieties being showcased at the fest. And excitingly, they are made available to customers at a reasonable price ranging between Rs 50 and 120.
We have the sale of a total of 23 varieties of mangoes from four South Indian states. This apart, an array of products made from mangoes is also on display at the fair,” says event coordinator Suresh Kumar. Pulpy mangoes in various sizes and colours — yellow, orange, red and green — adorn the stalls.
Palakkad native and fruit seller in the city for the past few years, Shivaji Sasikumar says, mangoes on display are safe to eat as they are free of artificial ripening agents. “Questions regarding the use of chemicals to ripen the fruits, especially carbides, are always there in the mind of buyers. But the mangoes here are safe as they are free from any ripening agents,” he said.
“Though the rain has affected the city, it has failed to dampen the spirit of mango lovers from visiting the fest. There have been good sales since the opening of the fest on Friday. Many visitors want to know the peculiarities and health benefits of each variety of mangoes,” adds Shivaji.
The stalls are packed with families during weekends. The festival organisers have also arranged for visitors the facility to have a taste of mangoes before buying them.
“It was a different experience to see many varieties of mangoes apart from the local variants. The sample pieces provided by stall keepers helped us get the taste of the variety much before we take a decision on buying,” says Mohanavally Amma, a homemaker from Karamana who attended the fair along with her family.
The sale of saplings of various mango varieties, including ‘all-season mango’, is another attraction at the expo.The fest concludes on June 19.