Ghorahi. Flowers of marigolds are blooming in the field of Lokendra Roka Magar of Ghorahi Sub-Metropolitan City-14, Jhingaura these days. He has been cultivating flowers commercially throughout the year. He said that he has been selling flowers and garlands even in the off-season.

Not only during festivals, flowers bloom in the garden of Magar as well. He is satisfied with this business, which is a commercial flower farmer. The income from floriculture has also improved. Before taking up floriculture, he was in foreign employment.

“I started floriculture after working abroad for a long time,” he said, adding, “I get more income from floriculture than what I earn in foreign countries. ’

Spending seven years in Qatar as a worker, Roka Magar started floriculture after seeing demand for flowers for the Dashain, Tihar and other auspicious occasions in the district. Currently, he sells flowers at the rate of four hundred rupees per kg and garlands for one hundred rupees.

The 40-year-old farmer has been involved in floriculture for the past 13 years. This year too, he has taken three bigha of land on lease for floriculture. Farmer Magar, who has been involved in floriculture commercially from Jaljala Flower Farm, has also provided employment to some locals.

He said that he has been sending flowers and garlands to Chitwan and Butwal along with the district. He sells flowers and garlands worth more than Rs 35 lakh annually. This will save Rs 10-15 lakh annually, he said. He said that garlands are being sold in various meetings, conferences, programs, marriages and worship ceremonies in the month of September.

She has also been selling wedding garlands. The garland is sold for one thousand rupees. Farmer Magar has also produced electric flowers to make garlands. Farmer Roka Magar has also been producing and selling saplings of different species. He said that people come to the farm to do commercial floriculture and decorate other houses around their homes.

He said that the ban on plastic garlands at the government level would provide relief to the flower farmers. He is happy that the trend of the general public using locally produced marigolds has increased in recent years. He has also got good support and support from his family in this business.

The price of floriculture is also decreasing as compared to before, with the increase in the number of farmers involved in commercial floriculture in the district. But Magar expressed happiness that the general public has been able to use the fresh garlands produced at the local level even at a low price.