Damauli (Tanahun). Two youths of Damauli have started cultivation of hundred-petaled varieties of flowers.
While the number of young people going for foreign employment is increasing, they have started farming with the determination to do something in their own country.
Local Gagansinh Basnet and Lakshya Adhikari in Beas Municipality-4 Simaltar have tried to find possibilities at the local level by cultivating 100-leaf flowers in two plantation plots.
As Tihar is approaching, hundred-petal flowers have begun to bloom in the fields of Simaltar. The view of the farm has become attractive with Pahelpur flowers, and the two youths want to bring the fruits of their labor to the market. Their aim is not only to earn money by selling flowers, but also to increase the use of local products and to reduce dependence on imported flowers.
Basnet and Adhikari started hundred-leaf flower cultivation for the first time by using the vacant land. Basnet has also been operating a car wash center. Basnet said that flower farming was started with the idea of using the vacant land for useful purposes.
Basnet says that although the demand for flowers increases during festivals like Tihar, after seeing that flowers brought from outside are used in the market, the idea of producing flowers at the local level came. He mentioned that he started farming for the first time seeing the possibility of producing flowers in his own place.
“We saw flowers coming from outside. We thought that flowers can be produced in our place as well”, said Basnet, “we have also started cultivation to convey the message that we should use locally produced flowers instead of flowers coming from outside.”
According to him, there is a plan to expand farming in the future based on the production and market demand of two plantations. He said that if the first attempt is successful, they will plant hundred-leafed flowers on additional land.
He expects that this will also create opportunities for employment and income at the local level in addition to the use of vacant land. Centipede flowers have been used to decorate houses, monasteries and various places during Tihar. Since the demand for flowers will increase during this time, farmers and entrepreneurs are likely to benefit if local products can be brought to the market.
Basnet said that increasing the production and consumption of flowers at the local level will help to reduce the dependence on imported flowers. -Rasus