Those looking for carbide-free, naturally ripened mangoes and jackfruit varieties, sold directly by growers at a reasonable price, can head to the month-long ‘mango and jackfruit exhibition and sales mela,’ at Lalbagh from Tuesday.





Hosted by the Department of Horticulture and the Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited (KSMDMCL), the mela, which starts at 8 am to 7 pm, will go on till June 29.



While 80 mango varieties are exhibited, 20 are up for sale in 85 stalls. Besides, 15 sales counters are meant for jackfruit, M Kamalakshi Rajanna, chairperson of KSMDMCL, said. A total of 105 registered farmers were selected for the mela.



In 2015, we were able to sell about 850 tonnes of mangoes, which generated Rs 5.38 crore revenue. This year, we expect the revenue to touch Rs 10 crore. The corporation has provided space and facilities free for the growers to sell their produce, she noted.



Chandra Reddy, a mango grower from Kolar, said, “We get an additional income of Rs 20 to Rs 30 for every kg of mango here. The same goes to the middlemen in the market,” he said. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the event in the presence of Co-operation Minister H S Mahadeva Prasad and Horticulture Minister Shamanur Shivashankarappa. The chief minister told reporters at the event that the government would encourage more such melas to help the farmers expand their market, besides creating an online platform.



Buy mangos online

Now, mangoes can be bought online on the Board’s website www.ksmdmcl.org. For this, the consumers have to order a minimum of 5 kg and the delivery time is three days. At present, the facility is available only in Bengaluru.



Kamalakshi said that the corporation had identified 10 representatives from among the growers to deliver the mangoes to the customers who purchase it online. Talks were on with e-commerce companies too, she said.