Growers from Mysuru, Mandya, Ramanagara Chikkaballapur and Kolar confirm participation

Mysore/Mysuru: Mango Mela is back after a gap of two years and it will be held for three days from May 27 (tomorrow) from 9 am to 9 pm at Kuppanna Park in Nazarbad. The Mela could not be organised in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID.

The Department of Horticulture is providing a platform for hundreds of growers to showcase their produce and officials are expecting a good response. The Mela is being jointly organised by Karnataka Mango Development and Marketing Board, Department of Horticulture and Zilla Panchayat (ZP) Mysuru.

This year, only farm-fresh fruits that have been ripened naturally will find a place at the Mela and it will be directly from growers to customers. The Mela is usually held at the peak of summer and this year’s weather is pleasant, thanks to unseasonal rains.

Apart from the popular varieties, there will be many special varieties of fruits at the Mela that will be brought from different parts of the country. Deputy Director of Horticulture Rudresh told Star of Mysore this morning that growers from Mysuru, Mandya, Ramanagara Chikkaballapur and Kolar have confirmed their participation and more than 20 stalls will be set up.

“We are expecting a per day sale of 25 tonnes of fruits in this Mela and the last time the Mela was organised in 2019, we saw stocks vanishing from the shelves every day,” he added.

Deputy Commissioner Dr. Bagadi Gautham will inaugurate the Mela and the expo of different varieties of mango saplings will be opened by Zilla Panchayat CEO B.R. Poornima.

Joint Director of Horticulture H.M. Nagaraj will preside. Additional Horticulture Director Dr. Prakash M. Sobarad, Managing Director of Karnataka Mango Development and Marketing Board Dr. J.V. Nagaraj and Mysuru Superintendent of Police R. Chethan will be present on the occasion.

Rudresh said that more than 25 varieties of mangoes including the common varieties like Ratnagiri, Alphonso, Badami, Raspuri, Sendhura, Neelam, Amrapali, Kesar, Baganapalli, Malagova, Thotapuri, Dussheri, and Mallika will be on display. “We are offering the best quality mangoes at the best price. All the fruits are naturally ripened. The best fruits are available till June,” he added. This year, there is a 40 percent drop in the yield due to delayed flowering and falling of flowers following unseasonal rains. Prolonged rain last year that increased moisture in the soil is one of the reasons for the delayed flowering and also crop damage.

The receding of the rainfall and bright sun has brought in new hopes for the growers and they are hoping to make some profits as this is the third straight year they are suffering losses, Rudresh said.