Good news for fruit lovers as annual fair at Pilikula Nisargadhama returns

Here is good news for mango, jackfruit and other fruit lovers as the annual fruits and jackfruit fair is back at Urban Haat of Dr Shivaram Karanth Pilikula Nisargadhama.

The annual fair is back after two-year break, and growers from Ramnagara, Channapatna, Udupi, Kundapura, Karkala, Shivamogga, Davangere, Belagavi along with Dakshina Kannada have come with varieties of mango, jackfruit and other exotic fruits to the fair. The fair will conclude on Sunday evening.

Grower Siddaraju who came from Magadi taluk in Ramnagara district said that this is the seventh fair he has been attending this year and the response for mango and jackfruits have been good. “We grow naturally without the use of any chemical fertilisers. We sell jackfruits to the Hopcoms for Rs 25 per kg.”

Siddaraju had also come with seeds of vegetables like palak, cucumber, ash gourd, fenugreek , jeera, ‘thingalavare’ and so on.

Mango varieties like totapuri, sugar baby, mallika, ratnagiri alphonso, raspuri, sinduri, neelam, kalaphad and other varieties were on sale.

While another farmer Nagamma from Ramnagara said that she cultivates mangoes on six acres of farmland and has 480 trees.

Jack Anil from Puttur has come with saplings of over 10 varieties of jackfruits including chandrahalasu, rudrakshi, gumless and others.

There were also stalls selling medicinal plants along with fruit bearing plants at the venue.

Ravishankar Bhat from Mudipu on the outskirts of Mangaluru had come with rambutan, dragon fruit, 'red lady' variety papaya, along with mangosteen.

He said “there are more than 120 dragon plants in my farms. I have started getting the yield within four months of planting. Now, each plant bears atleast 20 to 30 fruits.”

The fair also has farmers selling pineapple, papaya, lakshmanphal, guava and other fruits. The vegetable, flower seeds, eatables made of jackfruits including happala, chips and holige, a variety of pickles, cakes from jackfruit were also on sale.

Lakshmi Acharya from Moodushedde was preparing the jackfruit holige on the spot and selling it for the customers. “We prepare jackfruit holige during the jackfruit season. Otherwise we prepare kai holige and bele holige and supply it to hotels.”

In addition, the exhibition had ‘kalparasa,’ varieties of ice creams made of jackfruit, arecanut, ‘maagi kai’ used for making roti, bamboo rice, variety of delicacies made of jackfruit including ‘halasina gatti,’ ‘kadubu,’ ‘mulka,’ jackfruit seed vade and manchuri as well.