With own e-retail site, mango deals get sweeter for farmers

State mango farmers are now starting to set up their own e-retail sites to sell their own produce, in a move to transform themselves into entrepreneurs.

Four farmers have set up their own websites to sell their produce, which Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Limited (KSMDMCL) director C G Nagaraju termed as an attempt to sustain themselves. “The portals have helped farmers build a consumer base for themselves,” Nagaraju said.

KSMDMCL had set up its own dedicated portal in 2018 to sell mangoes, which has received a good response ever since. Its success encouraged farmers to launch their own e-retail portals to sell their produce, which, they said, helped them remove middlemen and get better profits.

“Farmers suffered harassment by middlemen. Having our own website has reduced dependency on them and we are connecting directly with consumers,” said Venkateshappa, a mango farmer from Chikkaballapura, who sold 15 tonnes of mangoes via his website (www.sakkathmango.in) in 2021.

However, due to the impact of weather, the website is not taking orders for this season.

Marketing a must

Another mango grower from Gauribidanur said they should focus more on marketing.

“The KSMDMCL website showed us that it is possible to make profits out of mango sale,” said Aruna Anjanappa, who launched the site www.kempegowdamangofarm.com this year and has been getting orders for at least 20 boxes of the fruit a day.

A Kolar farmer said having a personal website gives them a longer window to sell their stock.

“We begin harvest from March, while the KSMDMCL website opens up a little later. Having one’s own website allows us to sell throughout the season. This year, we have already sold over 500 kg through our website,” said Bhaskar Reddy, who grows nearly 20 varieties of mangoes at his farm near Kolar and runs the website www.kolarmangoes.com.