Nepal imported flowers worth Rs 60 million in fiscal year 2010/11. Flower import declined by 25 percent in 2011/12 to Rs 45 million.[break]
“The gradual drop in flower imports over the past few years shows we are heading toward self-sufficiency in flowers,” Lok Nath Gaire, president of FAN, told Republica. “If the government promotes commercial farming and ensures easy access to bank loans, the flower industry will grow at even faster pace.”
In order to encourage people toward floriculture, FAN has been organizing Flora Expo every year. “We have been organizing the expo to make Nepal self-sufficient in flowers, attract people toward floriculture and disseminate information about Nepal´s floriculture industry,” Kumar Kasaju Shrestha, vice president of FAN and coordinator of the 16th Flora Expo 2013, said
The expo, which concluded on Sunday, drew around 58,000 visitors and recorded transaction worth Rs 6.8 million
“The rise in the number of visitors at the expo shows that people´s interest toward floriculture is increasing which is an encouragement to us,” Shrestha added.
The expo featured a total of 60 stalls including 53 commercial stalls. Similarly, five stalls at the expo disseminated information about Nepal´s floriculture industry.
Shrestha said the 17th edition of Flora Expo, which will be held next year, will feature exhibitors from SAARC and the Asia Pacific nations.
According to the association, around 5,000 people are directly involved in the floriculture sector.
“We hope more people will join floriculture sector as the government has directed banks to issue collateral free loans to floriculture entrepreneurs certified by FAN as per the Flowers Promotion Policy 2012,” said Shrestha.
The government formulated the policy to promote commercialization of floriculture sector.
Nepal exports flower bulbs and tissue culture plants to Europe, the US, Australia, China, Japan, the Netherlands and different Gulf countries.
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