The eighth edition of Mango Mela that was inaugurated by Koppal Deputy Commissioner Nail Atul on Monday has over 100 varieties of mangoes on display in 22 stalls.
All stalls have been provided free to farmers to encourage them to participate in the fruit festival and market mangoes grown in their farms.
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Rahul Ratnam Pandey, Superintendent of Police Yashodha Vantagodi, Additional Deputy Commissioner Savitri B. Kadi, Assistant Commissioner Captain Mahesh Malagitti, Deputy Director of Horticulture Krishna C. Ukkund and other senior officers were present when Mr. Atul inaugurated the festival. The mela will end on May 21.
An officer of the Horticulture Department said that different varieties of mangoes, including Dasheri, Mallika, Totapuri, Benishan, Sindhura, Imam Pasand and Kesar, are grown in 5,000 hectares in Koppal district and the Mango Mela has been organized to provide a market for them.
“The mela provides a platform for farmers to sell their mangoes and consumers to buy them directly from farmers. It is beneficial to both as there are no middlemen. There are over 100 varieties of native and foreign mangoes on display,” an official said and added that there is a huge demand for Koppal Kesar mangoes at the mela.
There are some rare and expensive varieties of mangoes also on display at the Mango Mela.
Miyazaki, a Japanese variety of mango that is considered to be the most expensive, is one among them.
Arrangements have been made to provide complete information to farmers who are interested in cultivating Miyazaki mango which is normally sold at ₹2.5 lakh per kg.
