District to have mango development board: DC

Dharwad

The mango mela, aimed at facilitating the mango growers get scientific price to their produce by eliminating the middlemen menace and to help the consumers get quality fruit, began on the horticulture office premises   under the joint auspices of the district administration and horticulture department. 

Over a dozen varieties of mangoes including alphonso, kalmi, mallika, badami, kesar, neelam among other varieties of fruits are being kept for sale at the mango fest, which will be held till May 17. 

Deputy commissioner Divya Prabhu inaugurated the mela and stated that the mango festival is gaining popularity over the years and has emerged as an annual event.

The government has sanctioned a Mango Development Board   and it is coming up at Kumbapur in Dharwad taluk.  A sum of Rs 7 crore has been sanctioned and this board will facilitate the growers to adopt best practices for branding of the fruit, the DC said.

She informed that the horticulture department will hold a series of training programmes for the growers on protecting the fruit and exporting them. The board aims to link the consumers to the growers, besides take up research and development, training for mango growers and also help the growers to export the fruit.

The board here will give a push to mango production and also provide a solution to the growers problem, Deputy Commissioner  added. She asked people to visit the mango mela and encourage the growers by buying the fruits, which are free from artificial ripening. This year, magoes are grown in over 12,000 hectares land and Jogyellapur, Kelgeri, Tegur, Amblikopp, Halligeri, Mansur, Mugad, Mandihal, Devagiri, Navalur, Itagatti, Yerikopp, Kalkeri, Kyarkopp and other regions are known as alphonso mango belt.