सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Sunsari. Flowers that were once planted on the rooftops of houses to fulfill a hobby have now become a source of income in Dharan’s Lahure slum. They are also happy that the flowers planted for home decoration have started providing income.
Bishwa Limbu of Dharan Sub-metropolitan City-19 said that his desire to collect flowers for decoration helped him to get involved in commercial floriculture. He has been running Canal African Vetila Nursery for the last eight years. ‘Earlier, I used to import plants from abroad for decoration and plant them at home, but now I am earning about 1 lakh rupees a month by producing and selling flower plants,’ he said.
Shivamaya Rai of Dharan-11 is also among those who have turned their hobby of planting flowers into a business. Six years ago, she brought two money plant seedlings home and planted them. Over time, she started collecting flowers she liked. Now, she runs her own nursery. From there, she has various types of flowers and plants. This has not only fulfilled her hobby, but also generated good income.
‘Initially, relatives and neighbors would take them for free. They probably got them for free, but it hurt to see them not being cared for properly,’ she said. ‘Later, she didn’t want to give them away for free. She started charging Rs 50 per plant, and later it became a business.’
She invested her initial income in flowers and plants. She is very happy that she has now turned it into a business. ‘She started planting flowers as a hobby, then it became a business, and now she is earning up to Rs 200,000 per month from this,’ she said. Currently, there are more than 100 species of flowers and plants in her nursery.
In Dharan’s Lahureka 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 their love for flowers and plants, the practice of leaving even a little space while building a house and planting flowers and plants has also increased.
Pramila Rai, who has been running the Pavitra Nursery in Dharan-8, said that she has been supporting her family with the income from the nursery for 17 years. She has also given jobs to some people in the nursery.
Yumenhang Rai of Dharan-20 also said that her hobby of collecting flowers has now become a business. She is now running Everest Nursery. She said, “Initially, I used to ask my friends for flowers I liked, later I turned it into a business, now this hobby business has covered my family expenses.” Her nursery currently has plants worth Rs 100 to Rs 70,000.
Dharan Mayor Hark Sampang Rai has also launched a flower planting campaign in the sub-metropolitan area. Through the Shramdaan campaign she has run, various species of flowers and plants have been planted along the roadsides and in the valleys and hills of Sardukhola in Dharan.
‘Flowers not only attract people but also make them professionals,’ she said. Flowers also attract tourists to Dharan.’ She 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 has flowers and plants worth more than Rs 30 million annually.
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