DANG: Commercial marigold farming is gaining popularity in Dang, with more farmers taking up cultivation to meet the growing demand during festivals such as Tihar and Deepawali.
Prem Biwas Gharti, an established artist from Tulsipur, has joined hands with four others to cultivate marigolds commercially in Jinuwagaun, Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City-17.
Gharti said he ventured into floriculture alongside his music career to become involved in agriculture. “Although I am involved in the arts, I started marigold farming with the aim of becoming active in the agricultural sector as well,” he said.
The group, operating under the Aromatic Agriculture Group, has planted around 2,400 marigold saplings of the ‘Karma 555’ variety on five katthas of land.
According to Suman Giri, coordinator of the group, around Rs 100,000 has been invested in the farm, covering expenses for mulching, black plastic sheets, pesticides, land preparation and bed construction.
The group expects to harvest around 10 quintals of flowers from the five-kattha plot. Giri said they had already received advance orders for more than one quintal of flowers ahead of Tihar.
He said the initiative aims to encourage consumers to purchase locally grown flowers and promote local production.
Cooperative takes up commercial marigold farming
Alongside individual and group initiatives, agricultural cooperatives have also entered commercial marigold farming. The Bijauri Small Farmers Agricultural Cooperative Society in Tulsipur-18 has rented one bigha of land in Bankatta for five years to cultivate marigolds commercially.
The cooperative’s committee members and employees, representing an organization with 1,200 members, have been actively involved in planting and tending the flowers.
According to cooperative chairperson Chitra Dhital, the land was rented at an annual rate of Rs 2,000. The cooperative initially invested more than Rs 300,000 in seeds, mulching and land preparation.
The cooperative expects to generate between Rs 1.2 million and Rs 1.6 million in revenue from the cultivation. Dhital said the cooperative has been promoting its flowers through social media platforms such as TikTok and Facebook and has already received orders from various locations.
Yellow marigolds attract buyers
Similarly, Green City Multipurpose Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Farm, located in Paharuba, Tulsipur-15, has started commercially selling marigold flowers and garlands.
According to farm operator Ashish BC, the farm has produced attractive yellow and orange marigolds through modern farming techniques and proper care. The flowers remain fresh for an extended period, he said.
The farm supplies fresh flowers and garlands at both wholesale and retail prices.
Promoting self-reliance in domestic flower production
BC said the growing trend of marigold cultivation in the Tulsipur area, ranging from individual farmers and small groups to cooperatives and large agricultural farms, has contributed to making Dang increasingly self-reliant in flower production.
He said the expansion of commercial floriculture in the district was helping promote locally grown flowers and reduce dependence on supplies from outside the district.
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