Flowers worth Rs 500m sold during Tihar

Flowers worth Rs 500 million have been sold during the Tihar festival this year with the highest transaction recorded in the Kathmandu Valley.     

President of the Floriculture Association of Nepal (FAN), Dilip Bade said that transaction of flowers this year is close to the last year's transaction.     

The consumer price of a normal flower garland this year was Rs 100 on average.     

FAN president Bade said that this year the flower trade became easier during Tihar festival as the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) had fixed the venues for selling flowers. KMC had allocated 46 places from where the farmers could sell their flowers.     

It is said that the market for flowers increases from 15 to 20 percent every year, but the production growth is only 10 percent. Although the domestic production is enough to meet the market demand for 'makhamali' (globe amaranth) and 'godavari' (chrysanthemum), marigold and red rose have to be imported from India, Bade said.     

Cultivation of flower for commercial purposes has expanded to 52 districts including Kaski, Chitwan, Makawanpur, Kavrepalalnchowk, Gulmi, Palpa, Dhading, Morang and in the three districts of the Kathmandu Valley.     

According to Bade, the FAN president, flowers of 450 species are cultivated for commercial purpose. More than 44,000 people have been benefited through flower cultivation. One thousand one hundred and eighty-four farmers have done commercial flower cultivation on 221 hectares of land.