The much-anticipated mango mela, which is organised annually at Lalbagh Botanical Garden by the Horticulture department, will begin from June 2 and will go on for nine days until June 11. Although around 100-120 stalls used to be set up for the farmers every year, this year, only 40 stalls will be put up at the mela.
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While the mela itself has been delayed due to the Assembly elections this year, the reduction in the number of stalls has upset the farmers.
“The Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited (KSMDMCL) said that they had to cut down on the number of stalls because there is a shortage of funds. We met the newly appointed Horticulture Minister and told him about this problem and requested him to take steps for the welfare of mango farmers. He has assured us that he will soon hold a meeting and look into our problems,” said Dharanish Kumar, president, Kanakapura and Channapatna Mango Growers’ Association.
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However, the officials of the Horticulture department said that there was no fund crunch. “There was a delay in the mela schedule as there were elections. I have instructed the director to provide all the resources they need for the mela,” said Rajender Kumar Kataria, Principal Secretary, Horticulture department.
Rains during the flowering season led to a nutritional imbalance in mango trees which had affected the yield. The hailstorms which occurred in the major mango-growing regions of Kolar has further reduced the yield by 50% of what it was earlier. Some farmers remarked that the non-availability of mangoes was also one of the reasons for the reduction in the number of stalls this year.
Wide varieties of mango like Badami (alphonso), Raspuri, Sakkargutthi, Sendhoora, Mallika, Malgova and Imam Pasand would be available at the mela where mango lovers can directly purchase the fruits from the farmers.