The four-day ‘Mango Utsava’ kickstarted on Thursday at the National College grounds in Basavanagudi. The event has been jointly organised by the Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Ltd., Vasavi Condiments, and other organisations.
Farmers from over 20 villages across Karnataka have set up 20 stalls at the mela to sell varieties of mango which are native to the State. The event is expected to attract around 5,000 people.
While the farmers have been fed up with losing their mango crops to weather variations and pest attacks year after year, the mela hopes to connect them directly with consumers so that they do not lose out on their share of profits.
Munindra Reddy, a farmer from Chickballapur who is participating in the mela for the first time, said: “We used to get good-quality mangoes 4-5 years ago. Because of the high temperature, there are scars on the mangoes, which show that they are damaged. There are many hectares where there has been no flowering and pollination. Logistics have never been an issue for us. But my deliveries have come down this year,” he said. However, he is hopeful that he will at least be able to sell his good mangos without middlemen through the mela.
Swati K.S. from Vasavi Condiments said: “When we hosted Mango-Utsava in Jayanagar last year, farmers were able to make a good profit. That is why many of them wanted to come back. When distributors and other parties are involved, the farmers receive a low margin. This event will help customers meet farmers and buy from them directly, thus helping them in receiving profits directly.”
Mango-Utsava displays a range of popular varieties, including the Alphonso at ₹200 per kg, Kesar at ₹400 per kg, Badami (Karnataka Alphonso) at ₹200-250 per kg, and the Senthura at ₹100 per kg.
Bharathi M., customer from Basaveshwaranagar, said this was her first time visiting the mela. “I came to know of the event through a poster found near the National College grounds. I bought good quality Senthura mangoes,” she said.
