Mysuru preparing to host mango mela after a gap of two years

Mysuru: The cultural city is preparing to host a mango mela in May after a gap of two years. The horticulture department will announce the date soon. Normally during summer a variety of mangoes are put on display and sold in large numbers to the visitors at the mela. They include the popular as well as some rare species. Through this exhibition, different types of mangoes from all over the country are brought together at place and trading is encouraged.

This year, the mela will be jointly organised by Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Ltd (KSMDMCL) and the Department of Horticulture. Speaking to reporters deputy director of horticulture department N Rudresh said, "We are planning to bring the best fruits under one platform and benefit farmers by

providing them with direct marketing options. The pandemic forced us to cancel mango melas in 2020 and 2021."

The mela will be open for farmers from other districts too. "Prolonged rain last year that increased moisture in the soil is one of the

reasons for the delayed flowering and also crop damage. This is the

fourth straight year that mango farmers have suffered crop losses. As the yield falls, farmers are now pinning hopes that the prices will shoot up," he added. The yield this season would only be around 30 to 40 percent of a normal year. The KSMDMCL estimates that the yield this year will be around 8 lakh metric tonnes, as against a normal yield in the range of 14-16 lakh metric tonnes. In Mysuru, about 6,000 tonnes of fruit is expected from the district this year.

For more information about the mela, growers can contact the Department of Horticulture on Phone Nos: 0821-2977572, 2422255 or Mob: 9980007556. They can register for the mela by May 5 and a meeting will be held on May 7 with the growers to decide on the date, venue and duration of the mango mela.