Doha: The Flower Festival is doing brisk business as a total of 4,900 seasonal flower plants and 1,000 seedlings of vegetables and herbs from Qatari farms have been sold at a cost of QR36,575 in the second week (from last Thursday to Saturday), said the Ministry of Municipality and Environment.
The festival is offering various varieties of locally produce flowers, seedlings of vegetables and herbs at about 25 percent low price compared to what are available at other places in the market, a trader told The Peninsula.
After a successful experience of two winter markets Al Mazrouah (near Umm Salal), Al Khor-and-Al Dhakhira during past two weeks, the festival is scheduled to be held in Al Wakrah winter vegetable market for three days starting from tomorrow, said the Ministry in a statement.
The ‘Flower Festival-2018’ is being organized by the Ministry of Municipality and Environment represented by the Agricultural Affairs Department to promote local produce flowers.
The festival aims at providing the platform to local farmers to sell their flower produce directly to customers in a bid to get suitable yields for their investments and hard work.
“The festival is showcasing many other items with flowers and flower plants like seedlings of vegetables and herbs and beautiful flower pots at reasonable prices,” Humraaz Rizvi from a participating farm — Al Sulaiteen Agricultural and Industrial Complex — one of the largest farm in Qatar, said.
Speaking on the varieties of flower, Rizwi said that most of the flowers produced by his farm are available at the festival including petunia, vinca antirrhinum, celosia, Theophile, marigold, dahlia, curious, dianthus, jarbera and Lilly among many others. “We also offer seedlings for various types of vegetables and herbal plants like mint and aloe vera,” said Rizwi.
Speaking on the prices, Rizwi said that the flower plants and other products are available at the wholesale rate at the festival because they are being offered by farmers directly to the customers.
He said that the products showcased at the festival are cheaper about 25 percent compared to the market price.
“Small flower plants like petunia, vinca, and marigold are available at QR1 per plant, however, Lilly is being sold at QR5 per plant. Chrysanthemum is available in a big pot at QR15 per plant,” said Rizwi, adding that some medium plant like a rose, chrysanthemum and gypsophila are being sold at up to QR15.
He said that herbal plants like mint and aloe vera are being offered in a hanging basket at QR15 per piece. Regarding the life of flower plant, he said that the plants would keep producing flowers until the end of the season in April.
Beautiful flower pots are also available at the festival. “We offer ceramic flower pots imported from Vietnam in the range of QR100 to QR500,” said Rizwi.
