Flora Expo begins

KATHMANDU: The 25th edition of the Flora Expo has begun at Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu from Thursday.

Organized by Floriculture Association of Nepal and Floriculture Development Centre, the Expo will run until March 17.

Chair of Association, Min Bahadur Tamang, shared that a total of 73 stalls including 60 commercial ones, three landscaping, eight official and others are kept in the Expo.

The organizers have expected some 50,000 visitors and business transaction of worth Rs 10 million in the Expo.

The Association said that Nepal is now self-reliant on flower production in most of the seasons except for Tihar festival.

With the rise in demand for flowers, flower production and its farming has increased to 43 districts in the country including in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kaski, Chitwan, Makawanpur, Kavre, Gulmi, Palpa, Dhading, Morang and others.

Nepal produces some 450 species of flowers and the market of this business is of Rs 3 billion plus annually.