MANGALURU: Australia is emerging as the new market for mangoes grown in Karnataka. Hitherto, the king of mangoes grown in the state were much sought after in West Asia and Europe. It is not just Australia, but also the United States of America, which has started importing mangoes grown in the state and the demand from there is on the rise, noted Kadire Gowda, managing director, Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Ltd.If importers in Australia have sought 200 tonnes of Karnataka mangoes for the first time, Kadire Gowda said demand for mangoes from the US, which was 100 tonnes last year has risen to 200 tonnes this year. "The Federation intends to export at least 200 to 300 tonnes of mangoes to the US, a market with potential" Kadire Gowda said, interacting with media on the sidelines of a week-long mango and jackfruit mela that got underway at Kadri Park on Friday.The corporation has introduced three schemes to promote mango marketing . "The focus now is on Bengaluru. The schemes include mango picking tourism, online trading and marketing mangoes on wheels in apartments and residential areas in Bengaluru," he said. Under mango picking tourism, consumers will be taken on a KSRTC bus tour to mango orchards in Bengaluru and will be allowed to pick ripened mangoes on their own and pay farmers on the spot.The corporation will bear half the transportation cost of such mango lovers who will bear the rest, he said. With this consumers have the option to get natural mangoes and not the artificially ripened ones that abound in the market, Kadire Gowda said, adding consumers wanting to pick and choose mango have to register by logging on to ksmdmcl.org. This initiative of the corporation will also ensure that sellers too take care not to sell artificially ripened mangoes, he noted.Under the second scheme, the corporation will deliver mangoes to doorsteps of consumers who place orders on its portal. "We have identified certain growers who will deliver the fruit in their respective jurisdictions," he said. Under the last scheme of marketing mangoes on wheels, the corporation will take permission of welfare associations of respective apartments and the mobile van will then in turn market this fruit in apartments or in select residential areas.

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