Mangaluru (The Hindu): After West Asia and Europe, the demand for mangoes grown in Karnataka has emerged from Australia this year. Additionally, the demand from the United States, which began importing Karnataka mangoes from last year, has gone up too.

According to Kadire Gowda, Managing Director, Karnataka State Mango Development and Marketing Corporation Ltd., importers in Australia have sought 200 tonnes of mangoes for the first time.

At the same time, the demand from the U.S., which was 100 tonnes last year, has gone up to 2,000 tonnes this year. “We hope to export at least 200 tonnes to 300 tonnes of mangoes to the U.S.,” he said on the sidelines of a week-long mango and jackfruit mela which began at Kadri Park from Friday.

Karnataka mangoes were being exported to Europe and west Asia earlier. Mr. Gowda said the corporation has introduced three schemes to promote mango marketing. Now, its focus is on Bengaluru. The themes were mango picking tourism, online trading and marketing mangoes on wheels in apartments and residential areas in Bengaluru.

Under the 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. They will have to pay the farmers on the spot. The corporation will bear half of the transportation cost of the consumers while the balance would have to be paid by the latter. With this consumers could get natural mangoes and not depend on artificially ripened ones. Consumers would have to register for this by logging on to ksmdmcl.org.

Under the second scheme, the corporation will deliver mangoes to the doorsteps of consumers who have placed orders. It has identified certain growers who will deliver the fruit in their respective jurisdictions.

While marketing mangoes on wheels, the permission of welfare associations of respective apartments will be taken and the mobile van would market them to apartments or in residential areas.