The ‘carbide-free’ mango stall set up by a progressive farmer of Kamepalli mandal at the Pavilion Grounds drew huge crowds, after its formal inauguration here on Friday.
Mangoes that were naturally ripened using ethylene gas at the Kaikondaigudem-based ripening chamber were sold out within a span of a few hours at the stall set up by Banothu Lakshman, a tribal farmer of Govindrala village, at the Pavilion Grounds. Encouraged by the huge response from buyers, a few more mango-growers are reportedly planning to set up their stalls at the same venue in the next few days, according to sources in the Horticulture Department. The Department of Horticulture is promoting the natural method of ripening mangoes and spreading awareness about the health hazards of consuming artificially ripened mangoes using chemicals such as calcium carbide.
