Advance orders bring hope to Kanchanpur flower growers ahead of Tihar

Kanchanpur: Flower growers in Kanchanpur are enthusiastic as advance orders for their flowers begin to arrive ahead of the Tihar festival.

In previous years, local growers often suffered losses when flowers rotted in their fields because of a lack of market access. This year, however, orders arriving well before Tihar have brought them relief.

Sirjana Joshi, a resident of Bhimdatta Municipality-1, Kanchanpur, who has been involved in floriculture for seven years, said he had previously incurred losses because he could not sell his produce.

“Until two years ago, even when we produced flowers, we faced the problem of them rotting in the fields because there was no market,” Joshi said. “Last year, however, the flowers found a market, and I earned a good income.”

He said locally grown flowers gained market access after the local administration banned plastic garlands and restricted flower imports from India.

“Since the flowers found a market last year, I have expanded my cultivation this year,” he said. “We are very excited that bookings have started coming in even before Tihar.” He added that advance bookings for 20 kilograms of flowers had already been received.

Joshi began his floriculture business seven years ago with 300 flower bushes. He now cultivates flowers on 15 katthas of rented land, for which he pays an annual rent of Rs 30,000.

“In the second year, I cultivated 1,000 flower bushes, but they all rotted due to the lack of a market. The following year, I cultivated 4,000 bushes, but when I sent them to Kathmandu for sale, they rotted while still in transit,” Joshi said. He recalled that two quintals of flowers went to waste just two years ago because they could not be sold.

Last year, he cultivated flowers on 10 katthas of land and earned a decent income after finding a good market for his produce.

“After deducting expenses for staff and laborers, I earned Rs 150,000,” he said. “Since the flowers sold well last year, I have expanded my cultivation this year.”

Joshi hopes this year’s profits will help offset the losses he previously suffered due to a lack of market access.

“We have struggled significantly to find a market for locally produced flowers,” he said. “Let us use flowers grown right here in our own locality for festivals like Tihar and other events.”

He said he chose floriculture because it generates three times as much income as traditional farming.

With demand increasing, Joshi aims to sell four quintals of flowers during Tihar. The flowers are being sold at Rs 500 per kilogram.

Megha Rawal of Bhimdatta Municipality-15, Kanchanpur, has also entered the flower business after recognizing its potential. He has planted 2,400 flower plants on four katthas of his own land.

“There is now a growing demand for locally produced flowers,” Rawal said. “We expect to earn up to Rs 100,000 from flower sales during Tihar.”

He said he had invested Rs 25,000 in cultivation and plans to expand production further from next year if the flowers find a good market this time.

Demand for marigold flowers has been rising recently, as they are used for garlands, religious rituals, and home decoration during Tihar. Floriculturists have been cultivating the flowers to meet market demand, particularly for weddings and cultural events.