Tihar, the festival of lights, flowers and sweets, a festival reflecting the love between sisters and brothers, is looked upon optimistically by the horticulturists as an occasion to get the market especially for their marigold, velvet and chrysanthemum popularly known as the Godavari.
Every Tihar consumes 2.5 million flower garlands in the country.
Targeting Tihar, people plant marigold and velvet in their courtyards and the open spaces and when the festival comes the surrounding is full of beautiful flowers enticing the visitors to look at them.
Kathmandu valley welcomes flowers from neighboring districts Nuwakot, Sindhupalchowk, Kavrepalanchowk and Dhading to name a few.
Although many people are working as horticulturists and promoting the horticulture profession, the production is still not enough to meet the demand for occasions like Tihar. The country mostly depends on flowers imported from India.
However, citing the demand for flowers might be less due to the pandemic spread all over the country, Horticulture Association Nepal(FAN) hopes the domestic production will suffice for this Tihar.
“Owing to the panic created by the coronavirus pandemic, the demand of flowers will be less this year,” Kumar Kasaju Shrestha, the President of FAN told Khabarhub, “There is the demand for only 1.2 million marigolds and 300 thousand velvet and chrysanthemum garlands this year.”