Alphonso worth Rs 80 lakh sold at mango festival in Nashik

NASHIK: Around 65 mango farmers from Konkan sold mangoes worth Rs 80 lakh during a 17-day long mango festival in the city.
The festival, which concluded recently at the hall of the Nashik District Central Co-operative (NDCC) Bank near Central Bus Stand (CBS), attracted around 35,000 people. The mango festival had been organized by the Konkan Udyog Paryatan Vikas Kendra to help farmers sell their produce directly to consumers at marginal rates and pass on the price benefits and naturally ripened Alphonso to consumers.The festival began on May 6 and concluded on May 22.
Datta Bhalerao, Director, Konkan Udyog Paryatan Vikas Kendra, said, “The mango festival received very good response from people of Nashik. Around 60 farmers participated by rotation in mango festival and sold 20,000 boxes (18 kg a box) of mangoes worth Rs 80 lakh. Initially, the prices were high, but were reduced later on.”
Bhalerao said, “We have been organizing a festival for the past 12 years. The objective is to bring both mango farmers and consumers on the same platform and provide naturally ripened Alphonso to consumers at marginal rates. As there are are no middlemen, both farmers and consumers get benefits of it. Consumers get mangoes with trust at marginal rates, while farmers also get better price.”
The farmers from Guhagar, Dapoli, Kolshi, Vengurla, Ratnagiri, Devgad, Rajapur, Lanja and other parts of Konkan region participated in the mango festival. Prices were in the range from Rs 300 to Rs 1,500 per dozen depending on the size of the mangoes.