27th Flora Expo kicks off in Kathmandu

KATHMANDU: The 27th Flora Expo has kicked off at Bhrikutimandap Exhibition Hall in Kathmandu today. The event, hosted by Floriculture Association Nepal (FAN), will run until March 22.

The expo opened under the slogan "Floriculture for clean environment, employment and economic prosperity".

Inaugurating the fair, Bagmati Province Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Madhusudan Paudel, expressed the provincial government’s readiness to support the growth of the floriculture business and urged concerned stakeholders to provide further programme and policy recommendations.

"Floriculture and nursery are competitive enterprises. They have to be made tech‑savvy. The plants need to be protected and new varieties promoted," he said.

FAN President Rajesh Bhakta Shrestha said floriculture is currently being carried out on about 270 hectares across 52 districts and that more than 53,500 people are employed directly or indirectly in the flower business.

He said some agricultural policies have been modified and implemented, creating policy issues for imported flowers and flower‑based products that should be produced domestically.