Nepali women find flourishing opportunity in traditional garland making: Video
The women of Gundu, Nepal have turned a seasonal bloom into a thriving industry, generating over $133,000 annually by weaving garlands from globe amaranth flowers.
Nepal, a majority Hindu Himalayan nation, has a low GDP per capita. But the garland trade has transformed Gundu into a floral production hub, with nearly 500 households supplying over one million garlands each year, the AFP reports.
As the Tihar festival approaches, garlands spill from rooftops and porches, filling the village with vibrant purple, red, and orange. The deep purple globe amaranth, known as makhmali, is in especially high demand during the five-day celebration.
"Women have jobs because of the makhmali flowers," said Saraswoti Bista, a 56-year-old local farmer. "They can just stay home and weave garlands. There is good profit."
Sanju Bista, a 45-year-old farmer, explained how the seasonal garland work complements their typical potato and rice crops. "The jobless women are now employed. All the women of Gundu planted makhmali and thumke flowers and made income from the garlands. This has given them confidence," she said.
Nepal produced an estimated 2.5 million makhmali garlands in 2024, a 10% increase from the previous year, according to the Floriculture Association Nepal. The country is set to export 200,000 garlands, valued at $1.4 million, to markets worldwide.
However, the flower industry faces challenges. Heavy flooding worsened by climate change resulted in over $1.1 million in losses for the floriculture sector last year. But for the women of Gundu, the garland trade remains a reliable source of seasonal income and empowerment.
