The annual mango mela, an eight-day event to sell organically grown and naturally ripened fruits in the domestic market, commenced in Ramanagaram on Saturday.
The mela evoked overwhelming response and saw the sale of around two tonnes of various varieties of mangoes were sold on the inaugural day.
Ramanagaram Zilla Panchayat president C.P. Rajesh, Karnataka Mango Development Board director Kamalakshi Rajanna and others inaugurated the mela near Janapada Loka, off Bangalore–Mysore Highway.
Objectives
The Board, in association with the Department of Horticulture, has organised the mela to promote carbide-free mangoes and also to curb the middlemen menace.
“We have organised the mela to provide a platform for the growers and sellers in the domestic market, apart from discouraging the sale of artificially ripened fruits,” K.N. Roopashree, Deputy Director, Horticulture (Ramanagaram), told The Hindu.
The department has established 15 stalls near Janadada Loka, and 15 stalls near Shivalli Restaurant.
According to Ms. Roopashree, the department is expecting to sell at least 20 tonnes of mangoes through the mela, till May 14.
Apart from the sale, the department has also displayed Alphonso, Badami, Raspuri, Sindhura, Mallika, Malagoa, Thothapuri, Neelam, Amrapali, Kesar and other mouth watering varieties at the stalls.
