Mysore
City all set to host mango and jackfruit mela from May 27
The Horticulture Department is all set to host a three-day annual mango and jackfruit Mela from May 27 at Curzon Park. And this time, fruits will not be marketed or carried in plastic bags following the ban imposed on plastic by the state government and Mysuru City Corporation.
Non usage of plastic is one of the 11 conditions laid down by the department to the participating farmers in the mela. They have been instructed not to use plastic in any form including packing.
As an alternative and to avoid inconvenience, the department will provide cardboard boxes from the mango board. Each box will cost As 18 in the market but farmers can purchase it at a discount rate of Rs 9 per box.
The department will also provide fabric bags that can carry 2 kilograms or 5 kilograms so that the farmers can distribute among customers. These bags too will be provided at a discounted price.
Senior Horticulture Department officer G D Dinesh Kumar said that priority is given to plastic-free mela and organic fruits. Farmers can directly contact the horticulture department for stalls. Last year, 110 tonnes of mangoes were sold at the mela and this year, the department is expecting to sell 230 tonnes of mangoes.
Like previous year, around 35 stalls will have an exhibition of different varieties of mangoes which are cultivated organically. Stalls set up by the department will be given free for farmers but the farmers need to deposit Rs 1,000 per stall.
The department has also taken initiatives to buy carbide-free fruits directly from farmers without the involvement of middlemen as calcium carbide, commonly used to ripen mangoes, is extremely hazardous to the human body. To avoid middlemen, farmers have been asked to bring ID cards along with photos.
Varieties of mangoes including Alphonso, Badami, Malgoa, Kalapadu, Raspuri, Mallika, Kesar, Sendura, Dashehri, Thotapuri, Sakkaragutti and Siri (hybrid) will be sold.
Jackfruit varieties including Sakarayapatna, Tubugere, Chandra, Byrasandra grown by farmers from Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Doddaballapur, Ramanagaram and other places will be on display at the mela.
