No mango mela in Dharwad this year: Growers disappointed

Time of India

03-05-2025

Dharwad: Mango, the juicy fruit found in the Mediterranean countries, is rightly called the 'King of fruits' due to its unique taste and aroma. No one can refuse when offered a mango. Dharwad belt is known for growing the best quality mangoes, popularly called Alphonso or 'Aapoos'.
Under the Centre's 'One district, one product' scheme, Dharwad has been selected for mango cultivation. However, the growers are finding that there have been no promotional activities organised by the govt, they were pinning their hopes on the annual mango mela organised by the department of horticulture.
Despite producing high quality mango, growers were unable to get remunerative price. Hence, the department of horticulture has been organising mango mela every year in Dharwad since 2011 to facilitate the growers to sell the fruits directly to consumers. The mela has been providing an opportunity to the consumers to see and buy varieties of mango at one place.
Though there has been a dip in the yield in the last five years, it has not discouraged the farmers from growing alphonso. One of the reasons is, after Ratnagiri and Devagad mangoes known for their rich colour and taste, the Dharwad Aapoos is most-sought after fruit.
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Funds crunch
The horticulture department is finding it extremely difficult to mobilise resources to hold the mango mela this year. Efforts by the officials to get funds for the mela from the govt have not met with success as the govt allegedly has been indifferent to the demand. "As a result, it is most likely that there will be no mango mela this year," an officer said.
The department had encountered the same problem last year too. As the govt did not provide funds for the mango mela initially, the event was put off. However, it was held in the third week of May 2024 as the govt finally released funds.
Over 90 metric tonnes of fruits (mostly alphonso) were sold, generating a revenue of Rs 90 lakh.
"With indications that there will be no mango mela this year, the growers are forced to turn towards the APMCs and sell their yield," said mango grower and dentist Dr Anand K Patil, who grows alphonso on 45 acres of land at Kyarakopp, off Dharwad.
Alternative mela
For past two years, around 300 farmers have come together to float a forum 'Maavu Belegarara Balaga' (
mango growers association
). They have been hosting a mango mela on a smaller scale at Gandhi Peace Foundation located near Court Circle. Due to space crunch, this mango mela is not held on a grand scale, unlike the mango mela conducted by the horticulture department.
Pic: Mango sale during last year's mela