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KATHMANDU — As demand for red roses surge ahead of the Valentine's day, Nepal is importing over 3 lakh stems of long-stem roses from India.
Nepal Floriculture Association President Bahadur Tamag said: "The demands for red roses stand at 3,00,500. Only ten per cent of the total demands are met by local productions and we are forced to procure over 90 per cent roses from India to meet the demand during Valentine's Day."
Delhi, Bangalore, and Kolkata are the largest suppliers of red roses to Nepal, he added.
Only 23,000 rose stems will be fulfilled by the domestic market. A long stem rose costs Rs 80 to Rs 100. Out of the total demand, as much as 60 per cent will be consumed in Kathmandu and the rest will go outside Kathmandu.
With the pandemic almost over, there is excitement among the youths to celebrate Valentine's Day just like before the Covid time.
"We failed to produce the roses to meet the domestic demands, said Tamang, adding that it is expected that rose trading around Valentine's Day will surpass Rs 30.50 million.
India has been the regular market for Nepal for importing different kinds of floriculture products. Last year, only 100,800 stems of roses were sold out during Valentine’s Day but the number will grow significantly this year because of the no fear of any pandemic like Covid, said Tamang.
On average, Nepali traders sell out eight to 10,000 red roses during a normal day.