Bengaluru: The annual mango and jackfruit mela organised by Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Ltd (KSMDMCL) will be held across different parts of Bengaluru this year in a staggered manner, depending on when the fruits arrive.The first mela will be held at Cubbon Park in the heart of the city and will be inaugurated Friday.A more flexible approach to the official event has been taken because weather vagaries have led to harvesting season varying across regions. While mangoes from Ramanagara, Kanakapura and Uttara Karnataka are ready for harvest, fruits in the major growing hub of Kolar are yet to ripen. A separate mela for the Kolar produce will be organised at Lalbagh Botanical Garden once the fruits are ready.“Due to diseases like thrips and weather factors, the harvest season in Kolar and Chikkaballapur has been affected significantly. The recent hailstorms also damaged trees, with 8-10% of fruits falling prematurely in Srinivasapura taluk in Kolar,” explained BC Muddugangadhar, chairman of KSMDMCL. He added that if they had waited for Kolar’s produce to ripen, mangoes from other belts would have perished by then.The board is also planning to organise mini-melas in playgrounds across Bengaluru, including at Sahakarnagar, Electronics City, Whitefield and National College Grounds in Basavanagudi. Discussions are underway with Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) to finalise venues and dates. “Our goal is to ensure that mango growers get good rates for their produce and that customers get good quality mangoes — naturally ripened without carbides — in their own neighbourhoods,” Muddugangadhar said. He also mentioned that many farmers have now set up their own websites and WhatsApp-based stores to directly sell their fruits to customers.The mela at Cubbon Park, which will run till May 17, will have 50 stalls for mangoes, and seven for jackfruits.GI-tagged Kari Ishad on offerKari Ishad variety of mango from Uttara Kannada district, which became popular after obtaining the GI tag in 2023, will also be available at the 10-day mango mela in Cubbon Park. Other varieties like Badami, Mallika, Sendhura and Rasapuri will be sold at the mela, along with jackfruit varieties like Rudrakshi, Shivarathri, Ekadashi and Toobagere Lalbagh Madhura. Raw mangoes suitable for pickles will also be on sale.
