Sumptuous array of watermelons, grapes at annual Hopcoms mela

Bengalureans, get ready to feast on a galore of grapes and watermelon as the annual Hopcoms mela is back.

The mela organised by the Horticultural Producers’ Cooperative Marketing and Processing Society (Hopcoms) began in the City on Thursday.

Varieties of grapes such as Thomson seedless, Sonaka, Krishna Sharad, Indian Black Globe, Red Globe, Bangalore Blue, Dilkush and more beckon customers at the mela.
Alongside the grapes are watermelons of Namdhari and Kiran varieties.

The fresh grapes are procured directly from the farmers of Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Gadag, Kolar, Belagavi, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru rural districts. Customers can avail up to a ten-per cent discount on buying the two-kg grape cartons from the Hopcoms retail outlets.

250 outlets

The mela will go on at the 250 Hopcoms outlets, till the season lasts, said members of the Hopcoms. Apart from the grapes and watermelons, the organisation also intends to sell dry fruits like raisins, cashewnuts, pista and badam.

Hopcoms Managing Director Khadire Gowda said, about 70-100 farmers from various parts of the State will benefit from the Mela. “We are also planning to sell the produce via mobile vans at private companies and other places. We are in talks with the State government as well as private companies for the same,” he said.

Rs 5 crore for Hopcoms

Transport Minister and Bengaluru Urban district-in-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy who flagged off the mela said that a sum of Rs five crore has been allotted under the Nagarotthana scheme for Hopcoms to undertake developmental activities.

The money will be released in a phased manner, said the Minister.

Hopcoms is hoping for a 20 per cent increase in sales this year. In 2011-12, about 459 tonnes of grapes was sold at the mela, followed by 496 tonnes in 2012-13 and 114 tonnes of grapes in 2013-14.

“This time, we plan to sell 800 metric tonnes of grapes and 1,000 metric tonnes of watermelons in the mela,” said  Hopcoms Chairperson H K Nagaveni.