Kathmandu, March 29:

Orchids sold like hot cakes in the five-day floriculture exhibition that ended here today, with transactions crossing Rs 60,00,000 and over 60,000 people visiting the yearly event.

Siam’s Floritech (Nepal) did the best business as it sold the largest quantity of flowers, making

the event important from the economical point of view also.

Flowers are the ultimate expression of human feelings over the ages and the truth of this apsect was buttressed by visitors to the 12th floriculture exhibition openly admitting their fondness for flowers. An elderly couple, ex-British army man Mr Bhopal and his wife, said flowers were their ultimate passion. They love the orchid “as it symbolizes a life-long relationship.”

The event was successful in attracting Nepali customers and promoting floriculture as a leading business opportunity. Floriculture Association of Nepal (FAN) president Shreedhar Karki said the event proved far more successful than he had imagined adding that the important thing was that relations between organisers and floriculturists were strengthened. He opined that this would be helpful in future to promote the flower business in Nepal.

The floriculture fair was timed to coincide with the spring season that brings with it a sense of freshness. In this context, the 12th floriculture gala was the perfect bloom to herald the onset of spring. The 60 stalls in the event displayed more than 400 varieties of flowers, providing a wondrous setting for the senses.

A huge variety of flowers was on display, but bougainvillea was the most expensive of them, ranging from Rs 3000 to 4500 while orchids sold for Rs 3000 to 3500. Bonsai, the Japanese art of miniaturising plants and giving them different shapes, was a major hit in the show. Landscapes, clay pots and dried plants were other attractions of the show. Transformation of nature’s wonder, flowers, into decorative items was eye-candy. Most of the flowers had been imported from India apart from Thailand, Japan and Holland. “Sales are satisfactory,” said the owner of Srijana Nursery.

Only 25 per cent of the products are exported to countries like Dubai, the UAE and Thailand whereas 75 per cent of flowers are imported. Karki said that these events were encouraging from business point of view but flowers have their own importance in human life. “The rose is my ultimate preference flower to give to a loved one,” he added.

The floral fiesta not only increased public awareness of floriculture but also encouraged people to get drawn towards floriculture to promote and preserve nature’s precious gems.

Sujata Amatya, a college student said, “Flowers are the ultimate gift anyone can get and I am here to savour the ambience of these vibrant florets.”

Floral products export

Year Total Rs

2000-01 4,007,569

2001-02 1,328,162

2002-03 18,259,383

2003-04 11,204,703

2004-05 16,228,315

2005-06 32,634,275

2006-07 20,844,930

2007-08 24,216,171