Mango fest starts at Kadri Park
Dinesh Gundu Rao
inaugurated a three-day mango mela organised by the department of horticulture at Kadri Park in Mangaluru on Friday. Rao, who is also the district minister of
Dakshina Kannada
, said that the mela is organised with the objective of providing a market to mango growers without the interference of middlemen.
Growers from Ramnagar, Kanakapura, Kolar, and Channapatna have arrived in Mangaluru to sell a variety of mangoes cultivated by them. Consumers will be getting mangoes at a lesser price compared to the prevailing market price. Moreover, people will get organically grown and naturally ripened mangoes, the minister said.
Horticulture department
deputy director Manjunath D said that around 37 varieties of mango, including varieties grown in foreign countries, are sold in the mango mela.
The mela will showcase Raspuri, Sugar Baby, Hamlet, Rumani, Brunei King (Thailand), Sindhura, Imam Pasand, Maya (New Zealand), Badami, Honey Dew, Lily (Australia), Konkan Ruchi, and other varieties.
Siddaraju, a grower from Ramnagara, introduced Brunei King mangoes, a substantial variety celebrated for its sweet, succulent, and fibreless pulp. These mangoes are heavy, with individual fruits weighing between 1.5 kg to 2 kg.
He explained that this variety originates from Thailand, and he obtained the sapling from Kolkata. The tree started producing fruits within three years of being planted.
Another farmer from Kanakapura, who showcased Raspuri, Sindhura, and Badami varieties of mangoes, said that the mango yield was less this season due to a lack of rain. Farmers said that rainfall during the flowering season played spoilsport.
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