As in the past, more than 50,000 flower garlands will be imported for Tihar as domestic production could not sustain it.
Despite the increase in demand for flowers, the number of indigenous products could not increase, so the garlands had to be imported. It is said that they are preparing to import flower garlands from India as the flowers were destroyed during picking due to unseasonal incessant rains. Florists are trying to import flower garlands from India to prevent shortages.
It is estimated that the demand for flowers is increasing at the rate of 15 to 20 percent every year in Nepal. Entrepreneurs say that if the production capacity increases qualitatively, they will not have to depend on other countries. 200,000 centipede garlands were brought from India during last year’s festival.
Despite the decline in flower production, demand has increased this year. Due to the risk of coronavirus infection, entrepreneurs in the region have not invested as much as in previous years, which has led to a decline in flower production. Min Bahadur Tamang, president of the Floriculture Association of Nepal, said that the planting time was from February to August and the entrepreneurs could not invest due to the risk of coronavirus infection at that time, which also affected flower production.
“Market demand has increased this year,” he said.
There is a demand of 1.85 million flower garlands for this year’s festival. Of them, 1.5 million are marigolds and 300,000 are garlands of other flowers. Prices are expected to rise this year as demand is high and more flowers have to be imported from elsewhere than last year. The price of a one-meter centipede flower garland will be Rs. 60 to 70. This year, the demand for flowers is 15 percent higher than the previous two years. Flowers brought from India will arrive in Nepal three days before the festival begins.
The flower business, which has been losing Rs 10 million daily due to the coronavirus infection for a long time, is now doing business worth around Rs 7 million daily. Before the corona epidemic, September to February is the busiest season for flowers.
The business is booming now that there is a good time to trade and the corona infection is slowly declining. The business has not been able to generate good income for the past one and a half years due to the wave of the Corona epidemic, but it has been deteriorating recently. Some of the other businesses that have been closed for a long time in the midst of terror are slowly reopening and this business has also picked up the pace.
In recent years, the country has become self-sufficient in centipede flowers. Even though 95 percent of flowers are being produced in the country now, it is estimated that the production will decrease this year. For some years, flowers worth Rs 3 billion were traded annually.
Flowers worth Rs 110 million have been imported from abroad during Tihar and other seasons. Flowers are used more as there are different festivals and wedding seasons from September to February.
Along with the increase in demand for flowers, floriculture has expanded to 41 districts including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kaski, Chitwan, Makwanpur, Kavrepalanchok, Gulmi, Palpa, Dhading, and Morang. Nepal currently produces 450 species of flowers commercially. It is cultivated by 700 entrepreneurs in an area of about 157 hectares in Nepal.
