Tanahun. The women of Aandhimul Yanchowk of Aanbukhaireni Rural Municipality-1 in Tanahun district are preparing to sell marigolds worth Rs 1 million during the upcoming Tihar. The women who have been engaged in commercial floriculture had sold flowers worth Rs 9 lakh last year as well.

With the Tihar approaching, the fields of Adhimul can now be seen turning yellow with blooming marigolds. Now the women of the area are busy picking, preparing and storing the flowers. Suntali Gurung, chairperson of the group, said that the collected flowers have been stored in the cooling center to keep them fresh till the time of sale.

The commercial Sayapatri floriculture started by local women three years ago has now expanded to 45 ropanis of land. It has 45 women associated with it. She said that collective floriculture has not only become a source of income for them but has also become an opportunity to move towards economic self-reliance.

With the increase in the production and area of floriculture, the demand has also started coming in the market. In the first phase, there was a demand of 50 kg of the flowers. Entrepreneur Kalpana Gauli, who has been running Koseli Ghar in Damauli, has already purchased the flowers.

According to Gurung, the income of women can be further increased if the production is increased and the market can be expanded by continuing floriculture. He said that the production of marigolds at the local level has also helped in reducing the dependence on importing flowers. According to him, flowers are sold at up to four hundred rupees per kilogram.

Since the demand for marigolds is high during the festival, women are managing the production and sale accordingly. She said that the arrangement of picking flowers and keeping them in the cooling center has helped to keep the flowers ready for sale fresh.

According to Santosh KC, chief of the agriculture branch of Abukhaireni Rural Municipality, there is no problem of market for commercial floriculture. He said that the demand for flowers produced by women at the local level has helped them to become financially self-reliant. On the basis of collective efforts, market demand and consumption of flowers during festivals, the women of Aandhimool are preparing to meet the sales target this year.

The commercial cultivation of marigold, which is used to decorate houses, temples and public places during Tihar, has shown the possibility of linking local products to the market as well as increasing women’s income.