Bhubaneswar, June 12: Mango, the only treat in an otherwise sweltering summer, is wooing customers at an exhibition-cum-sale in the city.

The four-day festival that began today has been organised by Nabard at their regional office at Nayapalli for better marketing of mangoes produced in the state.

The festival is aimed to provide a platform to the tribal farmers who produce mangoes.

"We wanted to give the farmers an opportunity to sell their products directly to the customers. Moreover, it will also give them a chance to interact with government functionaries, so that they can send the fruits to local markets and outside the state," said S.K. Kale, chief general manager, Nabard.

"We organised this festival on a pilot basis and from next year we will invite more farmers," said Kale.

Around 35 farmers have put up their stalls at the exhibition and around 13 varieties of mangoes such as lyangra, himsagar, amrapalli, mallika and dussehri have been put on display here.

The farmers said the mangoes were carbide-free. "It would be economical and the produce would also increase had we used carbide. But, we must let the customers know that whatever we are selling here today are healthier and tastier. Unless they are served a taste of carbide-free mangoes they would not know the difference," said Hare Krushna Nayak, a farmer from Sundargarh.

Moreover, the prices of the fruits will also not burn a hole in your pocket.

The approximate price of mangoes this summer has been Rs 40-50 per kilogram in the markets, but here at the fair they are sold at Rs 20 to Rs 30 per kg.

"Summer is synonymous to mangoes. We look forward to this season only to gorge on various types of mangoes. The fruits at this exhibition are relatively cheaper and look delectable," said Barnali Maharana, a home-maker.

The mangoes have been manufactured by the farmers through grant assistance from Nabard.

Besides, other products such as onion, pineapple, spices, turmeric, herbal tea and medicine, honey and cashew are also available. The exhibition will run from 2pm to 9pm every day.