The Hindu 09.05.2013
All for making the king of fruits sweeter
Firstly, it is an eye-opener to the public that the
practice of artificially ripening mangoes is rampant in the trader
community and secondly, it is to create awareness among the farmers on
naturally ripening the fruit using ethylene to offer ‘non-toxic’ produce
to the customers.
Mango growers from Chittoor,
Nellore, Anantapur, Kadapa and Prakasam districts converged at
Lalithakala Pranganam at the Municipal Corporation of Tirupati (MCT)
compound for the five-day “Carbide-free mango mela” that began on
Wednesday. Organised by the Department of Horticulture, the event
showcases the range of mangoes available in the Rayalaseema districts.
12 varieties
The
greenish fruit on display at the 20 stalls appear semi-ripe, but they
are sweet and healthy too, claim the farmer-turned-sellers. There are 12
mouth-watering varieties like Banganapalli, Khadar, Pullura, Neelam,
Benishan, Dil Pasand, Reddy Pasand and Rasaalu, while more are expected
to arrive by Thursday. “We have provided all facilities to enable the
farmer sell up to two tonnes of mangoes a day,” explained Deputy
Director (Horticulture) M.K.V. Srinivasulu. It is true that the absence
of rains throughout the year and the untimely thunderstorm during the
flowering and fruition stages played triple havoc on the farmers.
Faced
with the uncertainty of price fixation, the farmers are a worried lot
about the unexpected turns the price could take in the coming days. In
the words of the Mines and Geology Minister Galla Arunakumari, who
inaugurated the fair, “the mangoes are set to taste sour this year.”
Herself a mango grower and owner of a large-scale fruit processing unit,
the Minister regretted that the nature failed the farmers yet again.
The
‘Mela’, which is meant to be a major intervention to better the lives
of farmers, would have added greater value, had the officials involved
more farmers in the event.
Additional Joint Collector
P. Venkatasubba Reddy hoped that not only the denizens, but also the
pilgrims visiting the temple city would benefit from the ‘Mela’.
‘Carbide-free mango mela’ held to create awareness among farmers on ripening the fruit naturally.