Kathmandu: In this year’s Tihar festival, the flower trade reached a total turnover of Rs. 240 million, as reported by Floriculture Association Nepal (FAN).
Although the flower production was good, prices were lower compared to last year, resulting in a decrease of Rs. 2 crores from the previous year’s turnover of Rs. 26 crores.
The flower garlands, which were sold for Rs. 100 last year, were priced at Rs. 65 this year. Despite an estimated turnover of Rs. 31 crores 2.8 lakh, there was a shortfall of about Rs. 7 crores.
Meanwhile, Indian flowers, stored in cold stores and sold at a lower cost, impacted the pricing of Nepali flowers.
Despite an estimated consumption of 4 million hundred-petal flower garlands, reports suggest that a total of 3.5 million flower garlands, including hundred-petal, velvet Godavari, and mixed garlands, were used during the festival.
With the growing market demand, flower cultivation has expanded to 48 districts in Nepal. Currently, 450 flower species are commercially produced by around 1,200 businessmen, covering an area of 221 hectares in the country.
At the sametime velvet flower garlands worth Rs. 1 lakh were exported this year to countries such as Australia, America, and Gulf countries, showcasing the global reach of Nepal’s floral products.