Ten-Day Thiruvananthapuram Mango Fest 2012 Kicks off

A 10-day mango festival kicked off at the Kanakkakunnu Palace in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on Friday, May 18, 2012. The fest timings will be from 10 am to 9 pm.

The festival showcases all endemic and exotic varieties of mangoes, including the large-sized Javaanpasand, to the small-sized Chakkarakutty.

Organized by the State Horticulture Mission with the support of Mango Growers Association, the mango festival will conclude on May 27. Farmers from the mango city, Muthalamada in Palakkad and from cities across the state will be there at the venue to showcase the best varieties of the fruit.

Native mango varieties showcased at the festival include Neelam, Varikka, Kilichundan, Kottukonam, Vellari, Kalappadi, Sindooram and Chandrakkaran. Exotic mango varieties such as Banglora, Alphonsa, Banganapalli, Malgova, Malliga, Jahangir, Daseri and Selam are also on display at the festival.

"The aim of organizing such a festival is to protect the native varieties and to provide more marketing and sales support to mango farmers," said Dr K Prathapan, director of the State Horticulture Mission.

The farmers involved in the cultivation of hybrid varieties of mangoes in the 400 hectares of land at Muthalamada in Palakkad are glad to have obtained the recognition of Mango City, said V Mohan Kumar, Mango Growers Association secretary and a farmer from Muthalamada in Palakkad.