Marigold, globe amaranth from Chitwan exported to Hong Kong

CHITWAN, NOVEMBER 10: Two different types of flowers produced in the Chitwan district – Marigold and Globe amaranth-have been exported to Hong Kong. Three brothers residing at Padampur in the Kalika Municipality of the district produced and exported two quintals of these flowers along with 1,300 garlands (made from both marigold and globe amaranth) on Thursday (Nov 9).

“Targeting this year’s Tihar festival, the flowers worth Rs 300 thousand from Nepal were exported to a foreign country for the first time,” said Govind Bastola, one of the three brothers.

“In order to meet the demands of marigold and globe amaranth for  Tihar, the three brothers brought the related seeds worth Rs 100 thousand from Kolkata, India and sowed them across 81,000 square feet of land. They expect to harvest some 8 quintals of produce worth Rs 1.5 million this year.

“There are demands from other countries, too, for specifically marigold flowers. We are planning to gradually meet these demands in the days to come,” informs another brother Amit Bastola.

According to him, compared to other agro crops, the flowers yield better monetary profit. “One can earn up to 50 percent while trading them,” he divulges.

They started flower farming marigold and globe amaranth some four years back by taking the land on rent.