Now, stalls at IT parks to sell mangoes to techies

Having tried their hand at taking enthusiasts on “mango tours”, the Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation is coordinating between farmers and IT companies for sale of the king of fruits for techies’ convenience.

C G Nagaraju, Managing director, Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation, told DH that it began with a proposal mooted by an IT company.

“One of them asked is if farmers can put up stalls on their campus. We obliged as it would be a great platform for farmers as well,” he said.

Nagaraju said the demand is high in Mangaluru. “About 25 members in the Kadri IT Park approached us and we will host stalls there,” he said.

One stall was put up in Khoday Towers in Bengaluru recently. Farmers who are certified to be growing mangoes and following good agriculture practices have been identified. “We are open to taking orders from IT companies,” he added.

However, according to sources, there a few pricing issues. “The prices here are far higher than in Hopcoms,” said the source. Meanwhile, farmers also said that the response was moderate.