Mangaluru: The three-day annual fruit and flower show, organised by the Department of Horticulture, Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat, district administration and Siri Horticulture Association, was inaugurated at Kadri Park on Friday, January 24.
Mangaluru South MLA D Vedavyas Kamath inaugurated the show and stressed the need for giving importance to organic products. “As the intention of the show is to create awareness on horticulture, people should come and witness this show in large numbers. Members of self-help groups have set up stalls in the show; the people should support them,” he said.
A demo on hand gardening and terrace gardening was also organised on the occasion. An exhibition of nursery owners, farm implements, seeds and fertilisers, organic products, horticulture products and value-added products is the main attraction of the programme. Other attractions at the show are a demonstration on drip irrigation, a model of apiculture, mushroom cultivation and cut flowers.
While there was an opportunity to set up over 150 stalls at the show, most of the stalls were vacant. However, those stalls that were present, like those selling seeds and natural ice cream made from chilly, mango, arecanut and others, saw good response from the public.
Entry tickets to the show have been priced at Rs 20 for adults and Rs 10 for students between the ages of 12 and 18 years. However, the horticulture department has informed that school children accompanied by their teachers and the differently-abled will be allowed to enter the exhibition free of cost.
This time, the horticulture department is organising a unique competition for school children to identify the seeds of fruits and flowers in order to create awareness on horticulture, vegetables and a different variety of flowers on the second day of show, January 25, between 3 pm and 4 pm.
Dakshina Kannada district Deputy Commissioner Sindhu B Rupesh, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Dr R Selvamani, Horticulture Department Deputy Director H R Nayak, MLC Ivan D’Souza and others were present.
