But while the flower industry is blossoming, heavy flooding worsened by climate change hit the floriculture sector hard, resulting in estimated losses of over $1.1 million. / Photo: AP
Nestled on the rim of Kathmandu Valley, Gundu is renowned for supplying the brightly-coloured globe amaranth and marigold flowers, with demand surging for this week's Tihar celebrations, also known as Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The women of Gundu have turned this seasonal bloom into a thriving industry, despite a labour-intensive process of picking and weaving them into garlands."We don't have to leave home, and by weaving garlands, we earn a good income," she added.Nepal, a majority-Hindu Himalayan nation, has a GDP per capita of $1,324, according to the World Bank.
As the festival peaks, garlands spill from rooftops and porches, filling the village with vibrant purple, red, and orange, a floral hub in Nepal.The dramatic deep purple-coloured globe amaranth, known in Nepal as makhmali, is in special demand during the five-day festival of Tihar.The garlands are given by sisters to their brothers on the fifth day of Tihar, as a symbolic offering wishing for their long life.