The Mango and Jackfruit Mela of the Horticulture Producers and Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (HOPCOMS) kicked off on Friday wherein both fruits are being sold at a 10% discount on the market price at its 325 retail outlets in the city for the rest of the season.
The mela has over 10 varieties of mangoes from Badami of Karnataka to Himsagar of West Bengal and Odisha.
“The mangoes sold here are ripened in the ripening chamber and are 100% carbide-free, a key USP of the mela apart from the discount,” said B.N. Prasad, Managing Director, HOPCOMS.
While the mela saw 750 tonnes of mangoes and 150 tonnes of jackfruit sold last year, HOPCOMS expects to better the sales this year to 1,000 tonnes of mangoes and 200 tonnes of jackfruit.
Freedom fighter H S Doreswamy, who inaugurated the mela, said the prices at HOPCOMS could be lowered as the prices were usually on the higher side.
However, A S Chandregowda, president, HOPCOMS, defended the prices saying they are lower than in most of the corporate retail chains.
Mango mela at Lalbagh
The annual Mango Mela at Lalbagh will begin on May 30 and end on June 24, said C.G. Nagaraj, managing director, Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Ltd. (KSMDMCL). “We are putting up 80 stalls. Farmers from 10 districts across the State will participate,” he said.
Mr. Nagaraj said the recent spell of rain had helped the mango farmers, offering a ray of hope in an otherwise dry spell, which had severely affected the yield.
