Bhaktapur. With the beginning of Tihar, the price of marigold and marigolds has tripled.

On the occasion of Laxmi Puja, flowers and garlands are being sold at more than three times the price. BHAKTAPUR: Farmers in Gundu of Suryabinayak municipality-7, the largest producer of flowers in Bhaktapur, have sold marigolds at Rs 700 per kg from Rs 300 a week ago. Traders have sold the same flower for one thousand rupees in the market.

Prakash Jha, a resident of Sangam Colony in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality-5, said that traders are selling a garland of marigolds for Rs 1,500 in the market. He said that he bought a garland of Sayapatri for Rs 1,500 today.

Pramila Lama, a trader who sells marigolds and garlands on the Radhe Radhe roadside, said that farmers have increased the price of flowers since Sunday. According to him, flowers produced openly from Kavrepalanchowk, Sindhuli, Sindhupalchowk, Panchkhal among other areas were sold at Rs 300 per kg a week ago but they had reached the price of Rs 600 per kg on Sunday.

Openly grown flowers are sold at Rs 800 per kg while flowers produced in tunnel in Bhaktapur are sold at Rs 1,300 per kilogram. According to him, the marigolds produced in the tunnel in Bhaktapur are costlier as they do not spoil for a week, he said.

The garland was sold at Rs 25 to Rs 30 per kg from a week ago, but the farmers sold it at Rs 40 to Rs 45 from Sunday, he said. He said that the price of flowers and garlands has tripled in just two days.

Florists said that the flower is sold at Rs 400 to Rs 500 per kg from farmers as it is of high quality. According to him, the price of flowers and garlands has increased by more than three times when the middlemen took the flowers and garlands to the market.

Floriculture entrepreneur Anita Basnet said flowers and garlands worth around five million rupees were sold from Gundu this year alone. According to him, the sale of marigolds and velvet flowers worth more than Rs 50 million this year has been done and a single family sold flowers worth Rs 100,000 to Rs 500,000.

Urmila Nagarkoti, another floriculture entrepreneur of Gundu, said that marigold is being cultivated in around 700 ropanis of land while marigolds are being cultivated in around 300 ropanis of land.

Along with flowers and garlands, the price of Bhogte and Bimiro, which are considered essential for Laxmi Puja, has increased in the market. Bhogte was sold for Rs 60 but was sold for Rs 150 today while Bimiro was sold for Rs 30 and today it is being sold for Rs 100 to Rs 150.

Prices of flowers, garlands, bhogte, bimiro, brother spices and fruits have skyrocketed in the market.