Former Dutch carnation grower assits flower grower in Nepal
Prakash Panta (40) is a grower of cut flowers in Gunjanagar, Nepal. 14 years ago, he started to grow gladiolus and field roses on a 0.4 ha sized area of land. He expanded his assortment with papayas, seasonal flowers and other vegetables. Afterwards, he built a greenhouse of 4,000 m2 for the cultivation of roses. Last year he asked a Nepalese greenhouse manufacturer to build a greenhouse for the cultivation his gerberas. At the moment, the company is 10 acre sized business and employs 45 women and 5 males.
He won several awards for his gladiolus and papayas. However, his roses and gerberas are less successful. There is a lack of knowledge on this area in Nepal. Therefore, he asked PUM for support. He hopes that Ton van Vliet can transfer his technical knowledge and help him to enhance his production techniques in order to improve the quality and quantity of his flowers.
Not enough light in the greenhouse
Ton van Vliet: "The dirt on the greenhouse prevents the sunlight from entering the greenhouse. Besides that, the screens, that are closed by night, are not completely open by day. "1% more light means a 1% increase in production." Therefore, Ton advised the Nepalese grower to tackle this problem first. Secondly, the draining needs to be improved. Afterwards, numerous other aspects need to be improved, like the methods for pest control, the quality of the water, the ground and the nutrition."
Implementing this advise will be time consuming. "Even the rudimentary instruments to measure certain levels are lacking. There is no more than 12 hours of electricity", says Ton. Even though, Ton is still full of hope. "We are working hard to make some changes and the people are willing to make these changes."
Prakash Panta: When I started this business in Nepal, only cut flowers from India were available. Now, there are possibilities to export my flowers to the Middle East, when I have a surplus. Due to the help of PUM, my business is able to grow. They are helping us to develop and improve our skills and production methods."
For more information:
PUM
Bezuidenhoutseweg 12
2594 AV Den Haag
T: +31 (0)70 349 05 55
F: +31 (0)70 349 05 90
Email [email protected]
www.pum.nl
