Consumers purchase mangoes from a farmer at the Mango and Jackfruit Mela at the Hopcoms premises, in Madikeri.
Credit: DH photo
Bengaluru: Mounting losses have prompted little more than a fourth of HOPCOMS outlets in the state have downed their shutters, confirmed Karnataka Minister for Horticulture S S Mallikarjun in the Legislative Council on Tuesday.
Of the 141 HOPCOMS outlets forced to close across Karnataka, more than 60 per cent – 88 – were in Bengaluru.
Previously, the state capital boasted 266 HOPCOMS outlets but the number has shrunk to 178 now.
Mallikarjun attributed the mass closure of HOPCOMS outlets in the state to fierce competition from malls, and the proliferation of private fruit and vegetable traders, including those plying fresh produce on carts.
Responding to a query by JD(S) MLC Govindraju, the minister said that 141 of the 557 HOPCOMS outlets across Karnataka had been shut down. Furthermore, payment of retirement benefits has also plunged several HOPCOMS outlets in Bengaluru in loss, said Mallikarjun.
“To offset the losses and to compete with private players, we are offering doorstep delivery of fruits and vegetables by deploying mobile units,” said the minister.