Ahmedabad, May 15 (IANS) Gujarat’s Ahmedabad will once again see a large-scale farm-to-consumer initiative as the ‘Kesar Mango Festival-2026’ is set to begin at Vastrapur Haat, bringing together farmers, producer groups and urban buyers in a direct sales model aimed at improving price realisation for growers and expanding access to chemical-free fruit for consumers.

The festival, organised by Gujarat Agro Industries Corporation under the state Agriculture Department, will be virtually inaugurated on May 16 by Minister Jitu Vaghani.

Mango sales will continue till June 15, followed by GI-tagged date sales from June 16-25.

Around 100 stalls have been set up at the venue, including 85 stalls for mangoes and 15 stalls for GI-tagged dates.

These have been allotted free of cost to farmer-producer organisations, natural farming groups and individual farmers involved in mango and date cultivation, enabling direct retail without intermediaries.

The festival will feature carbide-free mangoes sourced from key producing regions, including Gir, Junagadh, Amreli, Kutch, Valsad and Navsari.

Alongside mango varieties, GI-tagged dates will also be available for direct purchase, marking a parallel focus on promoting geographically certified produce.

Officials have stated that the initiative aims to strengthen direct market linkages between farmers and consumers, with an emphasis on natural farming and chemical-free agricultural products.

The platform is also designed to provide farmers with wider market access within urban centres such as Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

Data from previous editions indicates strong consumer participation. Last year’s festival recorded sales of more than 3.30 lakh kilograms of mangoes within a single month, valued at approximately Rs four crore.

In addition, a five-day mango festival organised during the Vibrant Gujarat Regional Conference in Surat saw the sale of 5,685 kilograms of mangoes worth over Rs 7.84 lakh.

The Kesar Mango Festival was first launched in Gujarat in 2007 and has since been held annually during the summer season.

It has evolved into a recurring marketplace connecting farmers directly with consumers and serving as a platform for seasonal fruit distribution across major cities in the state.

This year’s edition continues the same model, with structured participation from farmer organisations and producer groups, alongside direct retail of produce from multiple horticultural regions of Gujarat.

–IANS

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