Curzon Park the most popular haven for flower lovers during Dasara flower show, is all set to host ‘Mango Mela’.
The district horticulture department is hosting its maiden ‘Mango Mela’ from June 1 to 3 at the park adjacent to the north gate of Mysore Palace on Albert Victor road.
The festival (mela) till now was restricted only to Bangalore since the inception of Lalbagh.
The festival intends to be a platform for all varieties of mango, creating a direct access between farmers and buyers keeping middlemen at bay. Mango growers only from Mysore district are participating in the mela.
Senior assistant director of horticulture (State zone) Raju told Deccan Herald about 50 tonnes to 75 tonnes of mangoes are expected to be sold during the very exercise.
There are around 2,500 mango growers in the district cultivating the crop in 3,850 hectares.
Fruit available in the varieties of Raspuri, Totapuri, Badami, Neelam, Alphonso and Kesari, grown in traditional methods, besides natural and also organic methods will be on offer. The rate per kg of fruits will be fixed according to the rate at Horticulture Produce Cooperative Marketing Society (Hopcoms) stalls on the day.
Recently, 30 large scale mango growers were trained on plucking and ripening the fruit, besides transporting the same to the mela.
Most importantly, the mela wants to dispel the myth that ‘eating mangoes will also be an invitation to some diseases’.’ The officer said, it may be true in the case of mangoes ripened in chemical method.
In such cases, calcium bicarbonate enters the body of those who eat the fruit. The mangoes in the mela wil be ripened in natural method.
Experts from University of Horticulture Sciences,Davangere, University of Agriculture Sciences, Bangalore and JSS Krishi Vignana Kendra, Suttur, Mysore district will be sharing their expertise.
The district horticulture department will also be setting up an exclusive stall during the period exhibiting 30 to 35 varieties of mangoes.
About 25 to 50 stalls are planned on nearly two acres of land in the park.
To facilitate all from locals to outsiders, the stalls will remain open from 6 am to 10 pm. The participating farmers will have to pay registration fee of Rs 500, which will be refunded at the end of the mela.
Taluk wise
Of the seven taluks in the district, Hunsur stands first in mango yield, followed by H D Kote, Mysore, Nanjangud, T Narsipura, Periyapatna and K R Nagar.