Mango mela: Farmers seek relief for loss

Farmers participating in the mango mela are now seeking compensation from Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation for the losses they have incurred.

At a press meet here on Wednesday, B M Vishwanath Reddy, president of Mango Mela Farmers’ Association, said the farmers participating in the mela at Lalbagh have suffered losses because of the poor management. Only 35% of the produce has been sold, he noted.

He said each farmer had expected to sell around 11 tonnes of  mangoes, but has been able to sell only three tonnes. This is because the stalls have been unscientifically placed and mismanaged. The season of organising the mela was wrong and the prices fixed were high. The event on the whole lacks publicity and many people did not turn up.

Mango is available from March to July. But this year, the mela was inaugurated in the end of May, just when rains had started, he charged.