Still. Women in Myagde Rural Municipality here are involved in marigold-bearing farming. Women of Myagde Rural Municipality-4 have been attracted to floriculture after the rural municipality encouraged 75 percent of the grant.

The women have joined the Chandeshwori Fruit and Vegetable Producers Group at Chhimkeshwara and are involved in collective floriculture. Jitmaya Rana, chairperson of the group, said that the women involved in vegetable and other fruit farming have started marigolds for the first time.

“Earlier, we used to check on Facebook about others doing collective farming. We also wanted to cultivate marigolds. We inquired about this in the rural municipality and after getting advice from the agricultural technicians of the rural municipality, we started working towards it for the first time. ’

A total of 23 women in the group have rented six ropanis of land to cultivate flowers. Flowers have already been produced for this year’s Tihar, said Rana. According to him, marigolds are sold at Rs 300 per kg and Rs 150 per garland. Women who are busy with household chores have started becoming self-reliant after taking up floriculture.

Shree Prasad Shrestha, chairperson of the rural municipality, said that the rural municipality has been promoting marigolds with 75 percent grant for the past three years. Last year, the women of Ward No. 6 and this year Ward No. 4 were provided assistance. “The local government has been supporting the local women to become entrepreneurs.

“We have a policy of using the flowers produced by them in the rural municipality programs and facilitating the use of locally produced flowers during festivals like Tihar,” Shrestha said.