Mangaluru : The Department of Horticulture, DK Zilla Panchayat, Karnataka Mango Development and Marketing Corporation, Bengaluru and Agricultural Sciences Centre, Mangaluru will be jointly organising a Mango and Jackfruit Fest, an exhibition cum sale event, at Kadri Park from May 19 to 25.

As many as 45 varieties of mango and 12 varieties of jackfruit will be on display as a week-long mango and jackfruit.

They would be sold from farmers to consumers directly.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, M.R. Ravi, Chief Executive Officer, Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, said that consumers visiting the mela would be sold naturally-ripened mangoes.

These mangoes will be supplied to the mela from farmers under the supervision of Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation.

Unlike artificially-ripened mangoes available in the open market, the mangoes to be sold at the mela will be free from calcium carbide, Mr. Ravi said.

Excluding the inaugural day, the mela will open at 8 a.m. and end at 7 p.m. daily till May 25.

Among the mangoes will include improved varieties like Alphonso, Badami, Mallika, Raspuri, Sendura, Dashehari, Kesar, Neelam and Malgoa.

In addition, locally grown varieties like sakkare gutli, gunda, appe midi, jawarri will be on display and sale from local farmers.

Value-added products of mango and jackfruit would also be available at the mela. In all, there will be 44 stalls.

In addition to the corporation, the mela will be organised under the auspices of Department of Horticulture and Krishi Vignana Kendra, Mangaluru.

He said that farmers from Chikkaballapur, Doddaballapur, Kolar, Ramanagaram, Bengaluru Rural and Uttara Kannada will set up their stalls.

“The absence of middlemen ensures that the end consumer gets mangoes at a lower price than open market,” he said. The price difference would be 20% in case of certain varieties.

Yogesh H.R., Deputy Director, Department of Horticulture, Dakshina Kannada, said that saplings of fruits including jackfruit and other varieties would be available for sale. In case of jackfruit small size fruit ‘rudrakshi halasu’ would be available for sale, he said.

Farmers could contact 9480354968 for registering their stalls. They could also contact the horticulture department over 0824-2412628, 2423615.