A five-day mango and jackfruit mela organised by the Department of Horticulture kickstarted at Kadri Park here on Thursday.
K. Anandh, Chief Executive Officer, Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, inaugurated the mela. With 20 stalls the mela remains open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It ends on May 13.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Anandh said that naturally ripened mangoes are being sold at the mela. The department officials have ensured that no mango artificially ripened using calcium carbide is sold at the mela. The sale is directly from farmers, mainly from Ramanagara district, to the customers.
A committee of the department has fixed the maximum prices for each variety. Farmers should not sell any variety beyond the prices fixed by the committee, he said.
The prices fixed by the committee per a kg are Alphanso (₹250), Mallika (₹150), Raspuri (₹150), Malgova (₹200), Totapuri (₹50), Sindhura (₹100), Sugar Baby (₹50), Kalapady (₹250).
The price for a three kg box of Ratnagiri Alphonso has been fixed at ₹650.
In addition to jackfruit, value-added products of jackfruit are also available.
The department has displayed various varieties of mango at its stall. It includes Hima Pasand which cost ₹500 a kg. It can be preserved in room temperature without refrigeration up to 15 days, said D. Manjunath, Deputy Director, Department of Horticulture, Dakshina Kannada.
Madhu Kumar who sold the organic mangoes grown by B.C. Vasu of Ramanagara said that the shelf life of mangoes will be more when harvested individually with its stalk intact. Such mangoes can be preserved in room temperature up to 15 days, he said.
