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‘Domestic flower output will suffice’
Nepal’s requirement of marigolds for the Tihar festival can be fulfilled by domestic production, and the halt in shipments from India will have no effect, said traders.Nepal’s requirement of marigolds for the Tihar festival can be fulfilled by domestic production, and the halt in shipments from India will have no effect, said traders.
In the past, flower dealers used to import around 40 percent of the marigolds sold in Nepal during the festival, and the blockade by India had raised concerns of a possible shortage this year. The bright yellow flowers are strung into garlands, and used to decorate doorways and windows as part of the celebrations of Tihar.
As the Tihar festival this year falls later in the season than usual because it is marked as per the lunar calendar, local flower crops will be ready by then. The Floriculture Association Nepal (FAN) said that 600,000
flower garlands would be sold in
the Kathmandu Valley during this festival.
“Although the Indian blockade had raised fears of a flower shortage, we believe that domestically produced flowers will be sufficient this year,” said Loknath Gaire, president of FAN. Gaire added that the country’s floriculture production had been growing at the rate of 10-15 percent annually.
“We are on the way to becoming self-reliant in floriculture products as many people have been entering the floriculture sector.” Floriculture has been expanding in cities like Pokhara, Narayangadh, Hetauda, Biratnagar, Dharan and Dhangadhi besides Kathmandu. According to FAN, Nepal produced flowers worth Rs1.27 billion in fiscal 2014-15, up from Rs1.15 billion in 2013-14.
Meanwhile, the ninth edition of the Godavari Flower Expo opened in Jawalakhel on Thursday. Organized by FAN in association with the Ministry of Agriculture, the fair aims to make it convenient for festive buyers of flowers.
The three-day expo hosts 36 stalls showcasing a variety of flowers and gardening equipment. It also offers information related to the floriculture industry. The main attractions are chrysanthemums and marigolds that are widely used during Tihar to decorate homes and places of business.