निष्पक्ष र विश्वसनीय खबरको सँगालो 
Khabar Punja
११ जेष्ठ २०८१, शुक्रबार
Gomphrena globosa, commonly known as Makhamali in Nepal is one of the major flowers. It has huge importance during Tihar, one of the major festival of Nepalese. Flowers are globular in shape .The most common colour is magenta but also can be found in white, red and pink.
Makhamali is a cash crop and can grow almost in any type of soil except alkaline and also it can tolerate period of dryness and is not susceptible to many diseases and pest attack.it can grow well at temperature of 20-25 degree Celsius.
It is hard to miss the craze of Makhamali during Tihar, as its garland are made. There is a myth that just like its long lasting capacity, the brothers who have been offered Makhamali will have long life. It has a great storage capacity, it can retain its shape and colour for even a year. The flowers of G. globosa are used in traditional medicine to treat colic, diabetes and problems with the prostate and reproductive systems. It is also used to treat a variety of respiratory problems, including cough, asthma and bronchitis, and problems with the kidneys and urinary system.
Gundu, Suryabinayak, Bhaktapur has become a village well known for its Makhamali cultivation as nearly 700 houses are growing and harvesting flowers ahead of Tihar. Every year this place supplies garlands worth Rs 30 million or even more. Like Gundu places like Tathali, Sudal, Sidapole and Nankhel also supply these flowers in large quantities to Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, Chitwan.
Local of Bhaktapur harvesting Makhamali. Photo-Roshan Sapkota
Around 80 percent of the demand of flowers in Nepal was met by domestic production while rest was met with the imports from India in 2018. In the year 2019 it was expected that 93 percent of the demand was fulfilled by domestic production according to the Floriculture Association Nepal (FAN) . In this year it seems that 100 percent of the demand will be fulfilled by local production. So, the government should focus on its production techniques, marketing and export rather than only giving importance during Tihar.
