Farmers managed to sell around 500 tonnes of mangoes at the recently-concluded three-week mango mela, in Lalbagh Botanical Garden in Bengaluru. Over 100 farmers from across Karnataka had set up more than 50 stalls at the mela.
According to the organiser of the event, Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited (KSMDMCL), the response to the mela this time was better than last year.
“The sales during Mango Mela depend on how many weekends we get in Lalbagh. This time, 13 – 14 varieties of mangoes were sold, and farmers were very happy,” said C. G. Nagaraju, Managing Director, KSMDMCL.
Kari Ishad, the variety with a Geographical Indication (GI) tag, was available at the mela this year. “The farmers who brought Kari Ishad were very happy with the response. While there was not much demand for this variety earlier, these days interest has gone up, even in Bengaluru. The farmers replenished their stocks three times during the mela,” Mr. Nagaraju added.
Online sales
The Mango Board had also revamped its online sales platform ‘Karsiri’ this year to encourage more customers to buy good quality mangoes directly from farmers via India Post. At least 27 farmers are selling 13 varieties of mangoes, including Kari Ishad, on the platform.
“We have sold 4,514 boxes (13.5 tonnes) of mangoes on the portal, and we have received 60 – 70 orders for Kari Ishad. Apart from our platforms, farmers from different parts of Karnataka have come up with 14 such portals where they are directly selling mangoes to customers via India Post,” Mr. Nagaraju said.
