Mango and jackfruit mela begins in Shivamogga

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Children visiting a stall during the three-day mango and jackfruit mela organised by Shivamogga HOPCOMS, on Friday. | Photo Credit: S.K. Dinesh

A three-day mango and jackfruit mela organised by the Shivamogga District Horticultural Produce Growers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society Ltd. (HOPCOMS) began at the APMC market here on Friday, offering a spread of varieties for fruit lovers.

Fruit growers, particularly from Ramangara took part in the mela with their produce.

Krithi Kumar, a farmer from Bilagumba near Ramanagara, said his family has been cultivating mangoes on an eight-acre farm for several decades. “We grow 23 varieties of mango on our farm without using any chemical fertilisers, and the fruits are ripened naturally,” he said, crediting his father Vasu for developing the orchard over the years. He has brought Mallika, Kesar, Malgova, Maya, Kalapodi, Alphonso, Sugar Baby and Sendura varieties to the fair.

Inaugurating the mela, Shivamogga DCC Bank president R.M. Manjunath Gowda said HOPCOMS had organised the event to ensure that consumers get good-quality fruits and growers can sell directly without middlemen. He added that the DCC Bank would set up a cold storage facility in the district for the benefit of horticulture farmers.

Shivamogga HOPCOMS president R. Vijay Kumar said many rare mango varieties, including the premium Miyazaki, are available at the festival. “This platform allows growers to sell directly to customers at lower prices, without any intermediaries,” he said.