Bengaluru: Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy inaugurated a five-day fair of grapes, watermelon, and rare fruits, organised by the HOPCOMS in association with the horticulture department at Lalbagh Botanical Garden here on February 23.
The direct purchase of agricultural products from the farmers by the HOPCOMS is beneficial to them and with the concessional rates, the fruits will not be an extra burden for the customers as well, said Ramalinga Reddy.
HOPCOMS President A S Chandregowda said, “In all the stalls near the glass house, for three-days, grapes and watermelon will be sold with a 10 percent concession price. In all HOPCOMS shops, the concession would continue for one month. Last year, we sold 295 tonnes of grapes and 1,336 tonnes of watermelon, which means we had a business of Rs 2.61 Crore with grapes and Rs 2.21 Crore with watermelon.”
“Around 15 varieties of grapes and types of watermelon are on a sale in 20 stalls. Grapes grown in farms of Kolar, Magadi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot and other places of the state have been brought here. Everyday, 5-10 tonnes of grapes will be up on sale. HOPCOMS has an aim of selling 500 tonnes of grapes and 2,000 tonnes of watermelon this time,” he added.
Various types of grapes from Uttara Karnataka including Neeli, Sonaka Super, Krishna Sharad, Jambu Sharad, Thomas Seedless and watermelons like Kirana and Namadhari are being sold at the fair. Varieties of bananas, Rama Phala, Soursop fruit, citron, Kinnow Mandarin, muskmelon, vegetables, millets were also available. A workshop has been organised for the grape farmers on modern technology.
