Kuppanna Park in Mysuru is bustling with mango enthusiasts as a three-day mango and jackfruit mela got off to a start on Friday.
The annual mela that connects the growers and the consumers on a common platform to benefit both are organised by the Department of Horticulture.
Deputy Commissioner K.V. Rajendra inaugurated the mela and went around the stalls where varieties of fruit have been put on sale by the growers.
The mela is open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Deputy Commissioner said there has been a drop in mango production this year and therefore the fruit stocks in the markets appear meagre.
Zilla Panchayat CEO K.M. Gayathri, Joint Director of Horticulture Nagaraj, and Deputy Director of Horticulture Manjunath Angadi were present.
The annual mela saw a steady stream of visitors since morning as the initiative is a hit among the mango lovers since it offers naturally ripened fruits directly from the growers.
More than 30 growers have put up the stalls.
Mango varieties including Alphonso, Badam, Malgoa, Mallika, Saindhura, Baganpalle, Kesar, Himapasand, Dasheri, Sakkaregutti and others were available besides Totapuri.
Two jackfruit varieties are available at the mela.
Last year, the mango mela turned out to be a big success with the growers, in a span of three days, selling 90 tonnes of mangoes of different varieties directly to consumers, achieving a whopping revenue of ₹70 to ₹80 lakh. This was one of the highest revenue achieved in a mango mela organised by the Department of Horticulture in recent years. The initiative brings to light the potential of direct marketing where the farmers sold their produce directly to the consumers, who wanted quality and naturally ripened fruits.
