न्यूज अभियान
हरेक खबर विशेष खबर

Jhapa, Oct 28: Farmers engaged in floriculture have demanded the district administration to prohibit flower import into the district and promote domestic production. 
On Tuesday, a delegation of 20 farmers led by Sushma Paudel met with Chief District Officer Shrwan Kumar Pokharel, urging him to priortise locally produced flowers and create an favourable market environment for domestic growers. The handed the CDO a seven-point memorandum, concerning their demands.
It is said marigold cultivation has been expanding in the district over for the past few years. However, a significant share of the market is occupied by flowers imported from India.   According to Paudel, local production is sufficient to address market demand. 
Commercial marigold farming takes place on 15 to 20 hectares of land in the district. However, the lack of a reliable market has resulted in the losses for farmers.  Marigold cultivation takes place in Birtamod, Mechinagar, Bhadrapur, Damak and Shivasatakshi. 
Farmers complained that the state has yet to take protective measures for the promotion and sustainability of floriculture. 
Their demands include effective monitoring along borders and customs points to control unauthorized flower imports from India; the establishment of mechanisms to ensure fair prices and accessible markets for locally produced flowers and the use domestic flowers in government offices, schools, hotels, and various organizations. They have also called for the collection of accurate data on floriculture to facilitate to support long -term planning and for government support to protect domestic floriculture.