Dharan (Sunsari), 26 February: Flowers, once planted on the rooftops of houses as a hobby, have now become a source of income in the Lahure settlement of Dharan. They are also happy that the flowers planted for home decoration have started generating income.
Bishwa Limbu of Dharan Sub-metropolitan City-19 says that his desire to collect flowers for decoration helped him to get into commercial floriculture. He has been operating Canal African Vetila Nursery for the past eight years. “Earlier, I used to import plants from abroad for decoration and plant them at home. Now, I am earning about Rs. 100,000 per month by producing and selling flower plants,” he said.
Shivamaya Rai of Dharan-11 is also one of those who has turned her hobby of planting flowers into a business. She brought two money plant seedlings home six years ago and planted them. Over time, she started collecting flowers she liked. Now, she is running her own nursery. From where she has different varieties of flowers and plants. This has not only fulfilled her hobby, but also generates good income.
“Initially, relatives and neighbors would take them for free. They probably got them for free, but it hurt to see them not taking good care of them,” he said. “Later, they didn’t want to give them away for free. They started charging Rs. 50 per plant. Later, it became a business.”
He invested his initial income in flowers and plants. He is very happy that he has now turned it into a business. “I started planting flowers as a hobby, but later it became a business, and now I am earning up to Rs. 200,000 per month from this,” he said. Currently, there are more than 100 varieties of flowers and plants in his nursery.
In Dharan’s Lahure settlement, flowers can be seen from the gate to the roof of the house. Some have turned the courtyard of their house into a garden. Due to the love for flowers and plants, the practice of leaving even a small space while building a house and planting flowers and plants has also increased. Pramila Rai, who has been running Pavitra Nursery in Dharan-8, says that she has been supporting her family with the income from the nursery for the past 17 years. She has also given jobs to some people in the nursery.
Yumenhang Rai of Dharan-20 also says that his hobby of collecting flowers has now become a business. He is currently running Everest Nursery. He said, “Initially, he used to ask his friends for flowers he liked and bring them, later he turned it into a business, and now this hobby business has covered his household expenses.” His nursery currently has plants worth Rs. 100 to Rs. 70,000.
Dharan Mayor Hark Sampang Rai is also conducting a flower planting campaign in the sub-metropolitan city. Through the Shramdaan campaign he has conducted, various species of flowers and plants have been planted along the roads in Dharan and on the banks and hills of the Sardukhola.
“Flowers not only attract people but also create businesses,” he says. “Flowers also attract tourists to Dharan.” He says that the campaign will continue to be conducted to replace flowers and plants as the identity of Dharan. There are currently more than three dozen nurseries in Dharan that sell flowers and plants commercially. Experts say that Dharan produces flowers and plants worth more than Rs 30 million annually.
