Kolar, 18 June 

In the backdrop of falling procurement prices for mango, the Kolar district administration has written to Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) seeking to earmark lands to set up food processing units especially for tomato and mangoes.  

In a letter written to Mahesh, Chief Executive Officer of KIADB, Kolar Deputy Commissioner MR Ravi said that farmers of Srinivasapur and Mulabgal taluks grow mango, tomato, tamarind in abundance and if the produce is marketed without being processed, the farmers will suffer losses.  

He said that there are ample opportunities for development of industrial areas in Mulbagal and Srinivasapur taluk. He noted that the Bengaluru-Chennai Expressway passes through Mulbal taluk and many industries have already come up in some areas in neighbouring Andhrapradesh.

Hence, it is appropriate to set up processing factories in this region, he claimed. 

Meanwhile two legislators of Kolar district both belonging to JD(S) Samurudhi Manjunath and GK Venkatashiva Reddy staged a dharana in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue near Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru seeking a minimum support price for the mangoes grown in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts.        

Manjunath noted that there is no perennial water source in Kolar district, so the farmers have been growing mango and tomatoes in abundance. Any fall in procurement prices for these crops results in hardships for them.