Like every year in October, the Nepalese village of Gundu is adorned with yellow, orange and purple flowers, harvested to make the wreaths used in Hindu ceremonies. Their increasing production provides essential income to residents.
Nestled on the edge of the Kathmandu Valley, the usually quiet town bustles with activity as Tihar approaches, the Hindu festival of lights, better known in India as Diwali. From dawn, the women of the village take over the fields to pick the flowers which will make up the garlands to hang on houses and temples at the end of the day.
Meticulous and exhausting work, but which provides the residents of Gundu with an essential income. “It provides more work for the women of the village,” rejoices a flower producer, Saraswoti Bista, 56 years old. “We don’t have to leave our homes and weaving the wreaths brings us a good salary.”
In Nepal, the gross national product (GNP) per capita stands at 1,324 dollars (1,147 francs), according to the World Bank. Growing flowers has become an essential activity for the village. Some 500 families produce a million garlands each year for an income of more than 133,000 dollars (115,000 francs).
10% increase
At the height of the festival, all the buildings in Gundu are covered in multi-colored flowers. Purple amaranths, locally called makhmali, are the most sought after. According to tradition, garlands are offered by sisters to their brothers on the fifth day of the celebrations to wish them a long life.
Nepal produced around 2.5 million amaranth garlands in 2024, up 10% from the previous year, according to the Nepal Floriculture Association. Around 200,000, worth $1.4 million (1.2 million francs), are to be exported to the United States, Australia, South Korea, Japan and Europe, said a representative. of the association, Dilip Bade.
Although the flower industry is doing well in the Himalayan country, its activity is however threatened by the increase in floods caused by climate change, which has caused losses estimated at more than a million dollars.
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats / afp
