Bhubaneswar, June 9: The demand for local varieties and carbide-free mangoes has gone up this year, as people prefer to buy the fruit cultivated without the use of fertilisers or pesticides.

A lot of mango festivals, which are being organised in the city, have turned into an opportunity for tribal families to exhibit and sell their farm produce. Various varieties of garden fresh and carbide-free mangoes such as Amrapali, Baiganpalli, Totapuri, Alphonso, Lengda, Dusheri, Sundari, Subarnarekha, Himsagar, Mallika, Neelam have been displayed at a state-level mango festival by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) here.

The tribal farmers claim their mangoes to be carbide-free. "It would be economical and the produce would also increase if we cultivate the fruit using carbide. But, we are telling our customers that these fruits are far more healthy and tasty. Unless, they get the taste of carbide-free mangoes they will not know," says Hare Krushna Nayak, a farmer from Sundargarh.

Moreover, the prices of the mangoes at the festival are cheaper in comparison to the ones available in the markets. The average price of mango in the market varies between Rs 40 and 50 per kilo, but at the fair the fruit is selling from Rs 30-50 a kilo.

A mango dealer said till a few years ago, there was no demand for local varieties. "Now many local varieties are in high demand. We have been making good profit this year. I have sold over 100 kilos of mango," said Chandan, a fruit seller from Malkangiri.

The farmers at the fair said that organic mangoes cultivated without fertilisers or pesticides not only improve the tree's immunity against pests, but was also better for the health of consumers.

"Summer is synonymous with mangoes. We look forward to summers only to gorge on various types of mangoes," said Barnali Maharana, a homemaker.