Thiruvananthapuram, May 4 (KNN)  Residents of Kerala’s capital city have a rare opportunity to taste a wide variety of mangoes at the Honey and Mango Festival which started on Thursday at the Kanakakkunnu Palace premises.

As many as 160 varieties of mangoes from the south Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are on display at the event organised by the Department of Agriculture in association with the State Horticulture Mission and Horticorp, according to a media report. 

“Artificially ripened mangoes using calcium carbide is strictly kept away from this fest.  Several measures are taken to detect artificially ripened ones,’’ said State Agriculture Minister KP Mohanan who inaugurated the event.

Also speaking on the occasion, K Muraleedharan (MLA) said, “The festival aims at creating awareness of the benefits of organically cultivated mangoes.” 

Among the varieties on display are panchavarnnam, sindhoora, kotturkkonam, banganapally, dhaseri, alphonso, neelam, kilichundan, kalpadi, amarapali, sendhura, malgova, totapuri, mallika, sakkara gutty and rose mary among others, brought from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and different parts of Kerala.

The hero of the exhibition was undoubtedly the enormous Jawan Pasandh, a green coloured mango weighing about four kilograms.  Prices of the mangoes ranged from Rs 30 to Rs 100 per kilogram depending on the variety. 

The festival also showcased varieties of mango saplings such as sindhoor, bangarapally, mallika, kalppadi, alphonso, and kesari which were for sale and exotic types such as jehangir, daseri, alambur banishan, salem, banglora panchavarnam, himapasanth and kalapady.

For the first time, bee breeders and bee keepers from Kerala participated in the event which also featured honey and value added products made of honey.  Cheruthen, vanthen and kaattuthen are some of the varieties displayed. (KNN)