Gundu farmers harvesting Makhamali flowers for Tihar

By Binu Shrestha,Kathmandu, Aug. 8: Tihar is still three months away, but the farmers in Gundu of Bhaktapur have already started harvesting flowers and making garlands for the festival of lights. 

Makhamali flowers and garlands can be preserved for a long time.

Immediately after completing paddy plantation works, most of the farmers in Gundu area of Suryabinayak Municiplaity-7 have been busy plucking flowers.

The Gundu area is booming as a hub of floriculture business as several kinds of flowers especially Globe Amaranth (Makhamali) flowers, are grown here. 

Demand for flowers is traditionally high during festivals, weddings and other occasions. 

Gundu area of Bhaktapur district is well-known for Globe Amaranth (Makhamali) and marigold flowers. The people here are now seen picking Makhamali flowers and making garlands for Tihar.

The Makhamali flower is in high demand, especially for Bhai Tika. Flowers have been cultivated as a cash crop in this area for the past 20 years.

After picking the blossomed flowers from the field, the farmers stored them in cold rooms to keep the flowers fresh for the occasion. 

Beginning with the month of Shrawan , locals of Gundu started picking the flowers; they pick up the flowers several times till the festival time. 

The bunds of paddy fields in other areas are used to grow soybean or black lentil but the bunds of paddy fields of Gundu are covered with Makhamali flower plants.  

Some farmers have planted flowers inside the maize field, as a concept of mixed farming. Each household here prepares at least 500 garlands which will be later supplied to the markers. 

Parbati Nagarkoti of Gundu is also busy picking flowers now. She said, "I used to plant the flowers on the land separated for household kitchen but now people here are attracted to commercial floriculture year by year after they earned more in a short span of time." 

Ranjana Basnet, a successful farmer who professionally cultivates flowers in that area, said that she would earn Rs. 800,000 annually selling flowers after cutting all expenses.   

    Basnet has been cultivating various types of local species, Godavari and African species marigolds and flowers that are sold throughout the year, including Makhamali. 

People of Gundu, who had been earning a normal income from flower cultivation, have been engaged in commercial flower cultivation by making tunnels since 2018/19.  

Former Minister Mahesh Basnet informed that after connecting the Gundu area of Suryabinayak, with roads and transportation facilities, in order to find a new means to earn income for the locals, they have been supporting the farmers for floriculture business by allocating budget through Suryabinayak Municipality and Ward-7 to promote the business. 

Ambika Bhandari, chairperson of Small Farmers Agricultural Cooperative Limited (SFACL), said that SFACL has been supporting the farmers of this area for the last three years by providing marigold flower plants.   

According to Ajay Risal, manager of SFACL, it has given 70 per cent of subsidy to farmers in marigold flower plant. 

The municipality has provided Rs. 600,000 as a subsidy and prepared 55,000 plants of African marigold and it provided them to 310 farmers, said Rabindra Sapkota, ward chairperson of Suryavinayak Municipality-7. 

The main market for all flowers produced in Gundu is Kathmandu. 

The garlands of Makhamali are also exported to Australia, Japan, Canada and other countries. 

Flower merchants from the capital reach Gundu to purchase flower bouquets and garlands. Some farmers have reached the market and have been providing flowers to businessmen.

The flower traders of Gundu have estimated that the production will decrease this time due to the flower plant blight and butterfly disease.

Basnet said that the weather did not support the production of flowers this time. 

She said, "I was able to protect the flower plant by placing a "trap" where the butterflies get trapped because I cultivated the flowers inside the tunnel."